Date: 01/12/2002
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Van Schalkwyk: World AIDS Day
EXTRACT FROM KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE WESTERN CAPE PREMIER, MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK, SPEAKING AT THE COMMEMORATION OF WORLD AIDS DAY, Robben Island, 1 December 2002
World AIDS Day 2002 marks a very important milestone in the history of AIDS. It has been 30 years since the start of the pandemic. It has been 21 years since the first clinical evidence of HIV/AIDS was reported. For 21 years the world has been living and dealing with AIDS, and ever-growing numbers of HIV-positive individuals. Children born after 1981, an entire generation, have never known a world without AIDS. Yet in spite of the millions of deaths, and the tens of millions of infections, many nations, leaders, and people continue to treat AIDS as someone else's problem. It is time for every man, woman, and child irrespective of nationality, religion, or culture, to face up to the indisputable fact that this battle is not about us and them, infected or not-infected, first-world or third-world. After 21 years, it is time for our war against HIV/AIDS to come of age.
The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS demands that we respond to the pandemic with an increased sense of political commitment, making more resources available and creating the conditions for more focused initiatives. More than 20 million people have died of AIDS since 1981, and unless we make the fight against this pandemic "our" fight, many millions more are destined to succumb to the virus. We must all recognise HIV/AIDS as our personal problem and the campaign against Aids must be waged as a regional, national, and global war - sparing no effort or expense to save lives.
In much the same way as any successful war is waged, the war on HIV/AIDS requires a number of vital elements to be in place if we are to achieve victory. Perhaps the single most important of these elements is to create the capacity for rapid response. AIDS cannot and must not be fought by a committee. Once a plan of action has been chosen it must be single-mindedly rolled-out and implemented, preferably by a highly skilled and professional centralised command structure with the resources and powers to actively engage with the pandemic, not simply to debate it. A second key element is to avoid the division of our forces - we cannot afford to have government, the private sector, NGOs and communities working cross-purposes. The key is better co-ordination and communication to focus on fighting the most important battles first - preventing the spread of the virus, treating those living with HIV/AIDS, and addressing the social consequences of the pandemic.
As we enter the third decade of HIV/AIDS as a worldwide threat, it is threatening to cripple socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. More people are dying of HIV/AIDS in Africa than from any other disease. World AIDS Day focuses our attention on the more than 40 million people worldwide infected with this virus and the devastation it caused in the lives of their families and communities. We are reminded of the 11 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa who have lost parents to AIDS. This day also serves as a powerful reminder to us all of the fact that the battle against HIV/AIDS will not be won overnight, but that we must intervene now if we are to secure our future.
The Government of the Western Cape believes that aggressive strategies and innovative approaches are necessary to turn the tide in our battle against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is not surprising, looking at the statistics of HIV/AIDS infection and AIDS-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, that our region has been described as the epicentre of the pandemic. An estimated 5 million South Africans (approximately 12% of our population) are currently living with HIV/AIDS. In 2001 more than two million people died of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and over the same period 68% of the world's 5 million new reported HIV/AIDS cases were in sub-Saharan Africa.
Yet despite the shadow, which HIV/AIDS is casting across our region, there is hope. There is hope for the people of our province and there is hope for the people of our country because Government, together with the private sector and NGOs, is determined to make a difference. In line with the Provincial Government's commitment to establish the Western Cape as a World Class Province which cares for all its people, we have committed ourselves to find innovative and sustainable ways of providing prevention and treatment programmes that are accessible and affordable to those living with HIV/AIDS.
In the last 9 months we have opened six new hospice facilities - representing a 100% increase in the number of hospice beds in the Province - caring not just for the terminally ill, but also for chronic late-stage patients. Also 242 testing centres were opened in the Western Cape in the last two years - further evidence of our commitment to detecting the virus as early as possible in order to treat those infected and to empower them to prevent the further spread of the virus.
The groundbreaking pilot project at the Gugulethu Community Health Centre, with the international assistance of Crusaid, where anti-retroviral triple therapy treatment is provided for people living with HIV/AIDS is an example of our determination to improve the quality of life of those affected by the virus - shifting our focus from the exclusive prevention of HIV/AIDS to include the treatment of those living with HIV/AIDS. Underpinning our shift in focus is the commitment of this Provincial Government to secure the family as a unit. In so doing we ensure that parents living with AIDS are empowered to continue caring for their families and continue to live productive lives.
The assistance we are receiving from organisations like M
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Van Schalkwyk: World AIDS Day
EXTRACT FROM KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE WESTERN CAPE PREMIER, MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK, SPEAKING AT THE COMMEMORATION OF WORLD AIDS DAY, Robben Island, 1 December 2002
World AIDS Day 2002 marks a very important milestone in the history of AIDS. It has been 30 years since the start of the pandemic. It has been 21 years since the first clinical evidence of HIV/AIDS was reported. For 21 years the world has been living and dealing with AIDS, and ever-growing numbers of HIV-positive individuals. Children born after 1981, an entire generation, have never known a world without AIDS. Yet in spite of the millions of deaths, and the tens of millions of infections, many nations, leaders, and people continue to treat AIDS as someone else's problem. It is time for every man, woman, and child irrespective of nationality, religion, or culture, to face up to the indisputable fact that this battle is not about us and them, infected or not-infected, first-world or third-world. After 21 years, it is time for our war against HIV/AIDS to come of age.
The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS demands that we respond to the pandemic with an increased sense of political commitment, making more resources available and creating the conditions for more focused initiatives. More than 20 million people have died of AIDS since 1981, and unless we make the fight against this pandemic "our" fight, many millions more are destined to succumb to the virus. We must all recognise HIV/AIDS as our personal problem and the campaign against Aids must be waged as a regional, national, and global war - sparing no effort or expense to save lives.
In much the same way as any successful war is waged, the war on HIV/AIDS requires a number of vital elements to be in place if we are to achieve victory. Perhaps the single most important of these elements is to create the capacity for rapid response. AIDS cannot and must not be fought by a committee. Once a plan of action has been chosen it must be single-mindedly rolled-out and implemented, preferably by a highly skilled and professional centralised command structure with the resources and powers to actively engage with the pandemic, not simply to debate it. A second key element is to avoid the division of our forces - we cannot afford to have government, the private sector, NGOs and communities working cross-purposes. The key is better co-ordination and communication to focus on fighting the most important battles first - preventing the spread of the virus, treating those living with HIV/AIDS, and addressing the social consequences of the pandemic.
As we enter the third decade of HIV/AIDS as a worldwide threat, it is threatening to cripple socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. More people are dying of HIV/AIDS in Africa than from any other disease. World AIDS Day focuses our attention on the more than 40 million people worldwide infected with this virus and the devastation it caused in the lives of their families and communities. We are reminded of the 11 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa who have lost parents to AIDS. This day also serves as a powerful reminder to us all of the fact that the battle against HIV/AIDS will not be won overnight, but that we must intervene now if we are to secure our future.
The Government of the Western Cape believes that aggressive strategies and innovative approaches are necessary to turn the tide in our battle against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is not surprising, looking at the statistics of HIV/AIDS infection and AIDS-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, that our region has been described as the epicentre of the pandemic. An estimated 5 million South Africans (approximately 12% of our population) are currently living with HIV/AIDS. In 2001 more than two million people died of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and over the same period 68% of the world's 5 million new reported HIV/AIDS cases were in sub-Saharan Africa.
Yet despite the shadow, which HIV/AIDS is casting across our region, there is hope. There is hope for the people of our province and there is hope for the people of our country because Government, together with the private sector and NGOs, is determined to make a difference. In line with the Provincial Government's commitment to establish the Western Cape as a World Class Province which cares for all its people, we have committed ourselves to find innovative and sustainable ways of providing prevention and treatment programmes that are accessible and affordable to those living with HIV/AIDS.
In the last 9 months we have opened six new hospice facilities - representing a 100% increase in the number of hospice beds in the Province - caring not just for the terminally ill, but also for chronic late-stage patients. Also 242 testing centres were opened in the Western Cape in the last two years - further evidence of our commitment to detecting the virus as early as possible in order to treat those infected and to empower them to prevent the further spread of the virus.
The groundbreaking pilot project at the Gugulethu Community Health Centre, with the international assistance of Crusaid, where anti-retroviral triple therapy treatment is provided for people living with HIV/AIDS is an example of our determination to improve the quality of life of those affected by the virus - shifting our focus from the exclusive prevention of HIV/AIDS to include the treatment of those living with HIV/AIDS. Underpinning our shift in focus is the commitment of this Provincial Government to secure the family as a unit. In so doing we ensure that parents living with AIDS are empowered to continue caring for their families and continue to live productive lives.
The assistance we are receiving from organisations like M
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