Zuma praises Manto's work

2009-12-22 11:09

Michael Hamlyn

Cape Town - Noting that South Africa has developed a culture of dwelling on the negative and turning a blind eye to achievements, President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday praised the achievements of former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang in the battle against HIV and Aids.

"It must be placed on record that despite the controversies in the media, it was during her tenure as health minister, that South Africa developed a comprehensive five-year HIV and Aids plan, and put impressive systems in place for the fight against HIV and Aids," he said speaking at her funeral at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pretoria.

"Government expenditure on HIV and Aids has increased substantially during the terms of the first three democratic administrations and has grown in each subsequent fiscal year. At the time of World Aids Day last year, 93% of public health facilities were able to offer voluntary counselling and HIV testing.

"By the end of September 2008, around 600 000 people had been initiated for antiretroviral treatment. That figure has now increased to more than 700 000, making it one of the biggest programmes in the world. By the end of last year, over 400 facilities had been accredited to provide antiretroviral treatment in the public sector.

"All these programmes, including a massive national prevention campaign, were rolled out under her leadership."

The president said that in her honour the country must prioritise nutrition programmes and promote the general health and wellbeing of our people.

"As she correctly pointed out, despite being ridiculed, most medication, especially antiretroviral drugs, should not be taken on empty stomachs, in order to improve their effectiveness," he said.

- I-Net Bridge (News24)