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The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) on Friday, 15 April 2011, held an extended meeting at the East London Health Resource Centre, Eastern Cape Province.

The meeting received and considered a progress report on the implementation of the HIV Counselling, Testing (HCT) Campaign launched by President Jacob Zuma in April 2010.

Latest data, compiled by the Department of Health, indicates that over 9 million people have participated in the campaign. Of these, over 7 million were tested for HIV. These numbers are impressive given that in South Africa, historically, counselling and testing rates reached only 3 million people annually.

The figure of more than 7 million people tested for HIV does not include data of people who were tested in large number of private health facilities especially general practitioners in villages and townships. When all private sector figures are included, the number will be considerably higher.

The meeting was informed that most of those who tested positive are being initiated into treatment whilst others, depending on CD4 count, are urged regularly to visit their health practitioners until such time that they are ready to start the treatment.

The testing campaign is being intensified and expanded to schools, workplaces and religious sites, especially over the Easter period.

The meeting was informed that funding from the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria has been approved.

The SANAC Plenary took the following resolutions:

• The Resource Management Committee of SANAC should be co-chaired by somebody living openly with HIV

• The local production of female condoms should be investigated

• The representation of traditional leaders in SANAC should be reviewed and strengthened

• The South African Medical Association has been tasked to assist SANAC in collecting HIV and TB relevant data from the private sector

• A high-level delegation will represent SANAC at UN high-level meeting in New York in June 2011.

Deputy President Motlanthe and delegation proceed to Cecilia Makhiwane Hospital to monitor progress in the implementation of the hospital turn-around strategy.