Muldersdrift, Johannesburg, 10 October 2002
The Minister of Public Service and Administration,
Representatives of the Corporate Sector,
Representatives of International Donor Agencies,
Representatives of public service trade unions,
Public servants,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for affording me the opportunity to interact with you in this second Public Service AIDS Indaba, which provides us with an opportunity to share ideas and experiences.
We cannot under-estimate the critical nature of events such as this one, since public servants have the responsibility of ensuring effective service delivery to all our citizens.
The Indaba is therefore taking place appropriately during Public Service Week, during which all public servants are meant to rededicate themselves to a selfless service of the nation, including the fight against HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS poses a serious challenge to this sector, and it requires a collective response from all of us.
Chairperson, last year's Public Service AIDS Indaba provided a solid basis for our response to the epidemic. It dealt with issues facing managers, the legal complexities relating to AIDS, the link between TB and HIV, understanding how the virus replicates itself, how anti-retroviral drugs work, peer education and communication.
It has also resulted in the development of the Public Service Policy Framework, to guide departments on minimum requirements. There is already a lot of innovation within the public service on dealing with the epidemic, and I am impressed with some of the ideas being mooted.
Another innovative idea is that of "leave banks", where healthy civil servants can go to their Human Resource Departments and donate any number of leave days to colleagues who may be ill from AIDS. This will cover loss of time, productivity and income. These ideas, ladies and gentlemen, should be investigated, encouraged and enriched.
You will also have to respond to the challenges of the special Medical Aid needs of sick colleagues, the loss of scarce skills, absenteeism, training and development.
In short, we need to cultivate and nurture a new activism among public servants, and develop a public service not only responsive to the needs of the society they serve, but also ahead of their time as they envisage a future of hope.
Having raised the issue of responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, let me acknowledge that we are aware that the question bothering our nation, and indeed many nations, is how to treat HIV/AIDS and also how to make people immune to the disease.
In the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI), scientists are working with government support and funding to develop a vaccine that will make people immune to HIV infection. It is important however to remember that success will not be quick and is not guaranteed -therefore, prevention through awareness remains the key message.
The programme is moving forward at a pace that is extremely quick for such a biotechnology program. SAAVI continues to develop subtype C HIV vaccines and is at an advanced stage of laboratory testing of certain of these candidate vaccines.
The next step is to choose those that should be manufactured, and these will be manufactured during late 2002 and 2003 for clinical trials starting in late 2003.
We are also fully aware of the greater concern about treatment. Let me assure you that the quality of life of those infected with HIV is a major concern of government. Their health can be improved greatly through the effective treatment, management and prevention of opportunistic infections.
There are a number of different kinds of treatment that can help. Treatment for opportunistic infections, such as meningitis, oral thrush, TB and pneumonia, is available at public health care facilities irrespective of the person's HIV status.
To further enhance this programme, we are continuing with the training of health care workers on the management of opportunistic infections. Treatment for Tuberculosis is free and available in the public health sector. It is curable even in the presence of HIV infection, and treatment will help both the individual concerned and assist in preventing the spread of TB to others.
Government also encourages investigation into alternative or complementary treatments and medication for boosting the immune system. In this regard a protocol for research into such treatments is critic! and such a protocol has been drafted for submission to the Medicines Control Council. Initial data indicates that complementary medicine can be beneficial in this regard.
We must remember that there is a role for all of us in the treatment campaign. The success of a treatment programme depends on the availability of drugs. The challenge is to ensure an uninterrupted supply to all health facilities, and all South Africans can assist in this regard by helping to prevent the theft of medicines and hospital supplies. Let us join hands to expose corruption and other crime in the public health sector.
All of us, especially people living with AIDS, should help monitor the availability of drugs, and report any problems as we come across them.
Ladies and gentlemen, there has been much attention focused on anti-retroviral treatments. These drugs can help to improve the condition of people living with AIDS if administered at certain stages in the progression of the condition, and in accordance with international standards.
Government is actively engaged in addressing the challenges that must be overcomed to create the conditions that would make it feasible and effective to use anti-retrovirals in the public health sector.
We therefore continue working to lower the cost of these drugs, as they are at present too costly for universal access, and to strengthen the health system as well as to intensify patient education to ensure that the drugs are not used incorrectly in ways that can cause harm.
We are pleased that the World Summit on Sustainable Development confirmed the World Trade Organisation/TRIPS agreement on intellectual property rights, facilitating access to affordable drugs for major health problems, including HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
It has also been recognised that the quality of life of people with AIDS can also be improved by the use of complementary or alternative treatments based particularly on supplements and medication to boost the immune system.
Having raised all these treatment issues, let me emphasise that we should all remember that there is no cure for AIDS. The campaign to prevent HIV infection is therefore most important challenge we all face.
Our tasks are to minimise the negative impact, maximise the positive gains, ensure an environment conducive to counselling, testing and disclosure, provide adequate care and support to colleagues, and ultimately to defeat this disease.
It may seem a difficult task, but if we all breathe life into this year's theme for World AIDS Day - Caring enough to help - we will succeed.
Let me say once more how pleased I am for the opportunity to interact with you on this crucial matter. I trust the Indaba will grow from strength to strength every year.
I Thank You.