HIV: Cabinet members to be tested
2010-03-11 18:03
-
Zuma
But of course Zuma has been at the epicentre of South African politics, and his life has spilt...
Now R215.95
buy now
Cape Town - A massive new HIV/Aids implementation plan is to be launched next month which will aim to test 15 million people by June next year.
The test campaign will be kicked off by President Jacob Zuma and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and every member of Cabinet submitting a finger for a drop of blood to be taken. Bishops, judges and other leaders of society will also be expected to join in.
The campaign will offer voluntary counselling and testing at the entry points in all health institutions.
"All public health facilities, fixed and mobile, will be equipped to offer HIV testing and to provide ARVs (anti-retroviral treatment)," said Themba Maseko, spokesperson of the Cabinet whose members welcomed and approved the plan.
Retired medical staff
"Retired and non-practising medical staff such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists will be requested to make themselves available to the health system to support this initiative," Maseko said, adding that the Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan - a non-practising pharmacist - will be offering his services. Gordhan insisted he will have to get himself registered first.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told a media conference in Parliament on Thursday that the Finance Minister has done his bit by giving an additional R900m to the fight against HIV/Aids.
"At that time he announced that in the MTEF (medium term expenditure framework) we were going to be spending five billion rand. That was in October last year. But in February this year, because of the announcement we made on World Aids Day, that budget was increased by 33% to about eight billion rand."
On April 1 the treatment modalities already announced will be implemented. Under these, ARVs will be offered to patients with somewhat higher CD4 counts and to all HIV-infected expectant mothers and children.
Mass testing, counselling
The new mass testing and counselling campaign will be launched in Gauteng on April 15 with provincial launches in the rest of the country on April 19.
A special media conference is to be called in a fortnight's time to give further details.
Similar primary health care immunisation campaigns are also being planned to battle measles, which hopes to reach more than 95% of children aged between six months and 14 years and polio which is aiming for 90% of all children under five years old.
Another mass immunisation campaign against the H1N1 influenza virus will also begin next month.