Van Schalkwyk was speaking at the Groote Schuur Hospital today, where he announced a R2.5 million funding for ARV treatment for children at the hospital.
The money was donated by a UK based charity organisation, One-to-One Children's Fund.
"We are stepping up this war literally every week and the key to this battle in the Western Cape is partnership. By the end of last year we had a 100 percent (roll-out) coverage with regard to the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Aids," the Premier said.
He added that the provincial government had already opened 16 ARV treatment sites this year, where more than 2 000 HIV positive patients were being treated.
Last week the Western Cape government announced a R30-million partnership with a Europe based coalition of NGOs', ARK, to put 1 500 mothers on ARV treatment.
"We can only commend people who live in relatively comfortable countries but who are willing to do the right thing, we value partnerships like this".
The Premier said approximately 700 children in the province were on the ARV treatment programme.
He envisaged that in the coming financial year every child would be able to receive ARV treatment from any of the 16 sites.
The sites are at the Groote Schuur Hospital, Red Cross Children's Hospital, Tygerberg Hospital, Khayelitsha, Paarl, George and Worcester.
"On the 1st of April 2005, our government will be able to take over the treatment as well as the laboratory responsibility for those children but the One-to-One Children's' Fund will continue to be involved with the programme and make inputs.
He said it was because of partnerships like these that the Western Cape was leading in offering ARV treatment in the country. "Soon we will be able to say that we have turned that war against AIDS around and we will be winning that battle," the Premier said.
David Altschuler, One-to-One Children's' Fund founder, said the partnership marked the critical milestone in the common aim to provide every child with access to ARV treatment.
He commended the "superb" care that NGOs as well as staff at Groote Schuur were offering to children infected with HIV and Aids.
Altschuler said his organisation had started funding initiatives against HIV and Aids in the Western Cape since 2002.
"It is difficult to speak of the pride of these children and the distress of their mothers, that is why we decided to support the ARV treatment plan as a hopeful enterprise that today the provincial government has undertaken to take over next year," he said.
According to Altschuler there were 220 children and 60 mothers on the programme at Groote Schuur and Victoria hospitals alone.
He added that the programme was also extended to children abandoned and children orphaned by Aids.
"These children are struggling to understand who they are, they have no mothers, fathers or extended family willing or able to take care of them. Instead they are being cared in these homes by some of the most incredible people I have ever met," he said. – BuaNews.
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