The KwaZulu-Natal government says it is ready to start dispensing
antiretrovirals to people living with AIDS in the province.
This in line with the Comprehensive Plan on the Management, Care and Treatment of HIV and AIDS, approved by Cabinet last year.
The plan aims to provide comprehensive care and treatment for people living with the life-threatening disease, and to help strengthen the country's national health system.
For this purpose, the national government has set aside R300 million as conditional grants for provinces to procure the drugs including nutritional supplements.
Announcing details thereof, Health MEC Zweli Mkhize said the province had come a long way in the battle against HIV and AIDS. KwaZulu-Natal rates amongst the provinces with the highest HIV infection rates in the country.
"We still have a lot to do, but we are ready and we are committed," he emphasised, expressing delight the process had come this far, with some of the patients receiving the much-needed medication already.
The drugs are provided to people whose CD4 count is hovering around 200 as not all people infected with the disease need antiretrovirals.
"Today we make known the dates. It has been a long and arduous process, which was further complicated by the fact that these are sophisticated drugs that need a patient to be properly prepared before being put on the treatment programme," Dr Mkhize explained.
He said the main concern was keeping people living with the disease as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
"There are many ways of doing this, including the early treatment of opportunistic infections, proper nutrition as well as community and family support," said the MEC.
His spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo said the province was targeting as many patients as possible that needed the treatment.
The hospitals that have been accredited to start as soon as possible include King Edward VIII, M Gandhi and Addington in eThekwini, Church of Scotland in Umzinyathi, Benedictine in Zululand, Stanger in Ilembe and Ngwelezani in Uthungulu.
About 18 other hospitals in the province will start dispensing the drugs between May and September.
This announcement comes a day after the Gauteng government started dispensing the drugs in five hospitals in the province yesterday.
They include Johannesburg, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Helen Joseph, Coronation and Kalafong hospitals.
This week also, the national health department announced the accreditation of 27 hospitals to implement the comprehensive plan for HIV and AIDS treatment.
The hospitals including those in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng had been visited for the second time recently, as part of the accreditation process.
Spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said the accreditation process was still underway with the sites in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape to be visited during the first and second weeks of April, respectively.
Among others, accredited hospitals will be testing patients for HIV and fitness, and perform laboratory tests such as CD4 counts and viral load, to assess the clinical stage and establish the progression of the disease.
They will also be providing interventions that delay the progression of the disease; including nutritional and micronutrient supplementations, providing complementary and traditional medicines and improving step down referral facilities for patients.
The facilities will also be ensuring that patients who qualify and prefer antiretroviral therapy are prepared for treatment, which means undergoing a treatment literacy programme to ensure that when they commence treatment, they will adhere to treatment requirements - BuaNews.
This in line with the Comprehensive Plan on the Management, Care and Treatment of HIV and AIDS, approved by Cabinet last year.
The plan aims to provide comprehensive care and treatment for people living with the life-threatening disease, and to help strengthen the country's national health system.
For this purpose, the national government has set aside R300 million as conditional grants for provinces to procure the drugs including nutritional supplements.
Announcing details thereof, Health MEC Zweli Mkhize said the province had come a long way in the battle against HIV and AIDS. KwaZulu-Natal rates amongst the provinces with the highest HIV infection rates in the country.
"We still have a lot to do, but we are ready and we are committed," he emphasised, expressing delight the process had come this far, with some of the patients receiving the much-needed medication already.
The drugs are provided to people whose CD4 count is hovering around 200 as not all people infected with the disease need antiretrovirals.
"Today we make known the dates. It has been a long and arduous process, which was further complicated by the fact that these are sophisticated drugs that need a patient to be properly prepared before being put on the treatment programme," Dr Mkhize explained.
He said the main concern was keeping people living with the disease as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
"There are many ways of doing this, including the early treatment of opportunistic infections, proper nutrition as well as community and family support," said the MEC.
His spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo said the province was targeting as many patients as possible that needed the treatment.
The hospitals that have been accredited to start as soon as possible include King Edward VIII, M Gandhi and Addington in eThekwini, Church of Scotland in Umzinyathi, Benedictine in Zululand, Stanger in Ilembe and Ngwelezani in Uthungulu.
About 18 other hospitals in the province will start dispensing the drugs between May and September.
This announcement comes a day after the Gauteng government started dispensing the drugs in five hospitals in the province yesterday.
They include Johannesburg, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Helen Joseph, Coronation and Kalafong hospitals.
This week also, the national health department announced the accreditation of 27 hospitals to implement the comprehensive plan for HIV and AIDS treatment.
The hospitals including those in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng had been visited for the second time recently, as part of the accreditation process.
Spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said the accreditation process was still underway with the sites in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape to be visited during the first and second weeks of April, respectively.
Among others, accredited hospitals will be testing patients for HIV and fitness, and perform laboratory tests such as CD4 counts and viral load, to assess the clinical stage and establish the progression of the disease.
They will also be providing interventions that delay the progression of the disease; including nutritional and micronutrient supplementations, providing complementary and traditional medicines and improving step down referral facilities for patients.
The facilities will also be ensuring that patients who qualify and prefer antiretroviral therapy are prepared for treatment, which means undergoing a treatment literacy programme to ensure that when they commence treatment, they will adhere to treatment requirements - BuaNews.
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