Date: 03/11/2004
Source: Department of Health
Title: M Tshabalala-Msimang: Public Hearing on social issues
ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF HEALTH, DR MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG AT THE PUBLIC HEARING ON SOCIAL ISSUES, NCOP EMPANGENI, KZN, 3 November 2004
Honourable chairperson
Members of the NCOP
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I am deeply moved today as I stand before you to talk about health matters in our country.
We have many reasons to celebrate the achievements of the first decade of our democracy.
Not only are we free to discuss issues openly amongst ourselves as communities, but Parliament itself is coming to the people of South Africa.
More importantly, it brings along with it, Members of the Executive, so that we can collectively discuss the issues that affect us and the communities we represent in this democratic institution.
The theme of this session is poverty alleviation, educational and social needs.
This is a theme that cuts across our programmes as the Social Sector Cluster of Ministers and I am glad that my colleagues the Deputy Ministers of Education, Home Affairs and Social Development, are here with us, to ensure that we present to you a comprehensive report of the programmes of government in this sector.
The Government's Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme asserts the position that people living in the country's poorest areas require the concentrated attention of all government service departments to rise above deprivation.
The Health Department has prioritised the strengthening of the whole health care system, and in particular, primary health care services in the rural nodes. In doing so, we have engaged relevant partners in government and in civil society, to assist in strengthening primary health care services in these poor areas.
Dedicated health care coordinators have been deployed in each of the 13 rural nodes or districts, and they are focusing on achieving functional integration of primary health care services and strengthening of programmes to tackle diseases of poverty such as, tuberculosis, the diarrhoeal and infectious diseases of childhood as well as HIV and AIDS.
Departments involved in the Social Cluster have worked together in their efforts to address issues of food security and nutrition.
The Department of Health contributed to this process by strengthening the Primary School Nutrition Programme, which has been handed over to the Department of Education.
At the beginning of this year, this programme was reaching over 4, 7-million children at 15 000 schools.
The programme is estimated to be reaching 87% of targeted children. It has also led to improved school attendance and attentiveness of learners.
The compulsory fortification of basic foodstuffs such as mealie-meal, bread and wheat flour with micronutrients, including iron and vitamin A, is a major achievement that has been made to improve the nutritional status of our people.
The programme addresses the high levels of micronutrient deficiency and low levels of energy intake particularly among children.
The underlying factor in the spread of infectious diseases including HIV and AIDS, TB and Malaria, is the poor conditions under which most of those who are infected and affected live.
In responding to these challenges, we have highlighted the important role of promoting health and healthy lifestyles in the prevention of disease.
Campaigns to encourage abstinence and ensure that those in sexual relationships are faithful to one partner are proceeding well.
For example, the distribution of newly branded male condoms has increased from 33 million to 45 million condoms per month since June 2003.
Sites where Voluntary Counselling and Testing are done have doubled from 1500 in March 2004 to more than 3000 at the end of September.
The utilisation of the AIDS Help-line that provides information on HIV and AIDS and refers people to available services has increases to 5000 calls per day.
We have allocated R7 million for nutritional supplements to be distributed to those in need of good nutrition and we have embarked on a campaign to promote healthy diets, regular exercise and other healthy habits in the general population.
Access to AIDS-related treatment has already been extended to 50 of the 53 districts across the country, having at least one service point for the management, care and treatment of HIV and AIDS.
To date, a total 102 health facilities have been accredited to provide a number of services aimed at mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS, including the provision of antiretroviral therapy.
Efforts are underway to establish the impact of traditional medicines in improving the health of people with HIV and AIDS.
We are increasing our effort to combat TB which remains a major challenge in the country.
Our interventions are focused on better case management and providing support for those on TB treatment, because the truth that, TB is curable, even in the presence of HIV infection.
We also want to ensure that there are efficient laboratory services and adequate staff complement to support the TB control programmes in all provinces, particularly to bring the technology for diagnosing and treating Tuberculosis in rural areas and townships.
We continually make progress in reducing the Malaria cases, not only in this province, but also through collaborative efforts with our neighbouring countries, Swaziland and Mozambique.
Since the inception of the Malaria Control Project within the Lebombo Spatial Development Initiative, four years ago, we have reduced the incidence of Malaria by 96% in KwaZulu-Natal, 91% in Swaziland and 86% in the participating areas of Mozambique.
We are now working together with Zimbabwe to address Malaria challenges along our borders. Central to this success is the use of DDT in indoor residual spraying which has proven to be an effective preventative intervention.
The backlog that we are addressing with regard to access to safe water and proper sanitation still exposes poor communities to various health risks, including cholera. However, government is making progress in meeting its targets on improving access to these services.
In developing our priorities for the next five years, the Department of Health has identified the management of communicable diseases and non-communicable illnesses as one important area of our work. Together with promoting healthy lifestyles, this priority constitutes the core business of the national Department of Health.
Non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, osteoporosis, etc. are increasingly being recognised as significant health problems which need attention of governments, globally.
Many developing countries face a growing burden of chronic, non-communicable disease - and South Africa is one of them.
Our priority over the next five years, therefore, is to develop meaningful programmes for preventing these diseases that are difficult to live with and costly to manage.
The strategies for prevention are similar for many non-communicable diseases - they centre on good diet, responsible alcohol consumption, regular exercise and avoiding tobacco use.
To this end, government is finalising a policy framework that million to 45 million condoms per mll contribute to responsible alcohol consumption.
We recognise the need to develop our mental health services and interventions to reduce non-natural causes of death.
We are seeing a gradual increase in the number of non-natural causes of deaths. These are deaths from traffic accidents, homicides and suicides.
We need to better understand the psycho-social underpinnings of these issues and shape our interventions accordingly.
The national school health policy, introduced last year, will assist in the early detection of learners who may be considered high risk in terms of suicide.
As our contribution to tightening the social security net for the poor, we have added free health care for people with disabilities to the package of free health services targeted initially at pregnant women, children under six and all those accessing primary health care.
We are intensifying the implementation of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation to ensure that our children are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and we are working towards having South Africa and the SADC Region being declared polio free by the end of 2005.
Access to cervical and breast cancer screening is being expanded to cover more people and we are monitoring closely the main factors that contribute towards death during child birth.
This singularly important indicator will inform further policy interventions aimed at improving the health of women.
We are also extending cancer-screening services to cover prostate cancer for men as well.
There are many other programmes that I am unable to discuss this morning because of time limitations. These include:
* Improving access to affordable medicine
* Increasing access to medical cover and to ensure that medical schemes are affordable to the majority of our people and that they are financially sustainable
* Hospital Revitalisation Programme that improves hospital infrastructure, availability of equipment and management capacity.
We are doing everything possible to recruit and retain health workers and to improve their capacity to meet the health needs of our communities.
This year we have started paying rural and scarce skills allowances to health workers working in rural and remote areas in order to retain their services in the public sector.
All these programmes are centred on our vision to create an accessible, caring and high quality health system.
Dealing with all the health and social problems facing our people requires social mobilisation and the involvement of every sectors of society.
In the spirit of a social contract that our President speaks about, government is committed to work will every individual, every community and every organization, to ensure a better life for all.
I Thank You
Issued by: Department of Health
3 November 2004
Source: Department of Health
Title: M Tshabalala-Msimang: Public Hearing on social issues
ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF HEALTH, DR MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG AT THE PUBLIC HEARING ON SOCIAL ISSUES, NCOP EMPANGENI, KZN, 3 November 2004
Honourable chairperson
Members of the NCOP
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I am deeply moved today as I stand before you to talk about health matters in our country.
We have many reasons to celebrate the achievements of the first decade of our democracy.
Not only are we free to discuss issues openly amongst ourselves as communities, but Parliament itself is coming to the people of South Africa.
More importantly, it brings along with it, Members of the Executive, so that we can collectively discuss the issues that affect us and the communities we represent in this democratic institution.
The theme of this session is poverty alleviation, educational and social needs.
This is a theme that cuts across our programmes as the Social Sector Cluster of Ministers and I am glad that my colleagues the Deputy Ministers of Education, Home Affairs and Social Development, are here with us, to ensure that we present to you a comprehensive report of the programmes of government in this sector.
The Government's Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme asserts the position that people living in the country's poorest areas require the concentrated attention of all government service departments to rise above deprivation.
The Health Department has prioritised the strengthening of the whole health care system, and in particular, primary health care services in the rural nodes. In doing so, we have engaged relevant partners in government and in civil society, to assist in strengthening primary health care services in these poor areas.
Dedicated health care coordinators have been deployed in each of the 13 rural nodes or districts, and they are focusing on achieving functional integration of primary health care services and strengthening of programmes to tackle diseases of poverty such as, tuberculosis, the diarrhoeal and infectious diseases of childhood as well as HIV and AIDS.
Departments involved in the Social Cluster have worked together in their efforts to address issues of food security and nutrition.
The Department of Health contributed to this process by strengthening the Primary School Nutrition Programme, which has been handed over to the Department of Education.
At the beginning of this year, this programme was reaching over 4, 7-million children at 15 000 schools.
The programme is estimated to be reaching 87% of targeted children. It has also led to improved school attendance and attentiveness of learners.
The compulsory fortification of basic foodstuffs such as mealie-meal, bread and wheat flour with micronutrients, including iron and vitamin A, is a major achievement that has been made to improve the nutritional status of our people.
The programme addresses the high levels of micronutrient deficiency and low levels of energy intake particularly among children.
The underlying factor in the spread of infectious diseases including HIV and AIDS, TB and Malaria, is the poor conditions under which most of those who are infected and affected live.
In responding to these challenges, we have highlighted the important role of promoting health and healthy lifestyles in the prevention of disease.
Campaigns to encourage abstinence and ensure that those in sexual relationships are faithful to one partner are proceeding well.
For example, the distribution of newly branded male condoms has increased from 33 million to 45 million condoms per month since June 2003.
Sites where Voluntary Counselling and Testing are done have doubled from 1500 in March 2004 to more than 3000 at the end of September.
The utilisation of the AIDS Help-line that provides information on HIV and AIDS and refers people to available services has increases to 5000 calls per day.
We have allocated R7 million for nutritional supplements to be distributed to those in need of good nutrition and we have embarked on a campaign to promote healthy diets, regular exercise and other healthy habits in the general population.
Access to AIDS-related treatment has already been extended to 50 of the 53 districts across the country, having at least one service point for the management, care and treatment of HIV and AIDS.
To date, a total 102 health facilities have been accredited to provide a number of services aimed at mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS, including the provision of antiretroviral therapy.
Efforts are underway to establish the impact of traditional medicines in improving the health of people with HIV and AIDS.
We are increasing our effort to combat TB which remains a major challenge in the country.
Our interventions are focused on better case management and providing support for those on TB treatment, because the truth that, TB is curable, even in the presence of HIV infection.
We also want to ensure that there are efficient laboratory services and adequate staff complement to support the TB control programmes in all provinces, particularly to bring the technology for diagnosing and treating Tuberculosis in rural areas and townships.
We continually make progress in reducing the Malaria cases, not only in this province, but also through collaborative efforts with our neighbouring countries, Swaziland and Mozambique.
Since the inception of the Malaria Control Project within the Lebombo Spatial Development Initiative, four years ago, we have reduced the incidence of Malaria by 96% in KwaZulu-Natal, 91% in Swaziland and 86% in the participating areas of Mozambique.
We are now working together with Zimbabwe to address Malaria challenges along our borders. Central to this success is the use of DDT in indoor residual spraying which has proven to be an effective preventative intervention.
The backlog that we are addressing with regard to access to safe water and proper sanitation still exposes poor communities to various health risks, including cholera. However, government is making progress in meeting its targets on improving access to these services.
In developing our priorities for the next five years, the Department of Health has identified the management of communicable diseases and non-communicable illnesses as one important area of our work. Together with promoting healthy lifestyles, this priority constitutes the core business of the national Department of Health.
Non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, osteoporosis, etc. are increasingly being recognised as significant health problems which need attention of governments, globally.
Many developing countries face a growing burden of chronic, non-communicable disease - and South Africa is one of them.
Our priority over the next five years, therefore, is to develop meaningful programmes for preventing these diseases that are difficult to live with and costly to manage.
The strategies for prevention are similar for many non-communicable diseases - they centre on good diet, responsible alcohol consumption, regular exercise and avoiding tobacco use.
To this end, government is finalising a policy framework that million to 45 million condoms per mll contribute to responsible alcohol consumption.
We recognise the need to develop our mental health services and interventions to reduce non-natural causes of death.
We are seeing a gradual increase in the number of non-natural causes of deaths. These are deaths from traffic accidents, homicides and suicides.
We need to better understand the psycho-social underpinnings of these issues and shape our interventions accordingly.
The national school health policy, introduced last year, will assist in the early detection of learners who may be considered high risk in terms of suicide.
As our contribution to tightening the social security net for the poor, we have added free health care for people with disabilities to the package of free health services targeted initially at pregnant women, children under six and all those accessing primary health care.
We are intensifying the implementation of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation to ensure that our children are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and we are working towards having South Africa and the SADC Region being declared polio free by the end of 2005.
Access to cervical and breast cancer screening is being expanded to cover more people and we are monitoring closely the main factors that contribute towards death during child birth.
This singularly important indicator will inform further policy interventions aimed at improving the health of women.
We are also extending cancer-screening services to cover prostate cancer for men as well.
There are many other programmes that I am unable to discuss this morning because of time limitations. These include:
* Improving access to affordable medicine
* Increasing access to medical cover and to ensure that medical schemes are affordable to the majority of our people and that they are financially sustainable
* Hospital Revitalisation Programme that improves hospital infrastructure, availability of equipment and management capacity.
We are doing everything possible to recruit and retain health workers and to improve their capacity to meet the health needs of our communities.
This year we have started paying rural and scarce skills allowances to health workers working in rural and remote areas in order to retain their services in the public sector.
All these programmes are centred on our vision to create an accessible, caring and high quality health system.
Dealing with all the health and social problems facing our people requires social mobilisation and the involvement of every sectors of society.
In the spirit of a social contract that our President speaks about, government is committed to work will every individual, every community and every organization, to ensure a better life for all.
I Thank You
Issued by: Department of Health
3 November 2004
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