Date: 12 October 2006
Venue: Ga-Molekane Sports Ground Mogalakwena Municipality, Waterberg District
Programme Director
The Executive Mayor of Waterberg District Municipality: Cllr
Pinky Kekana
The Mayor of Mogalakwena Municipality: Cllr Bob Mmola
Councillors
Health Professionals and Government Officials
Home based care groups, NGO’s CBO, FBO and the private sector
Ladies and Gentlemen
We have gathered here to celebrate the 8th anniversary of
Partnership Against HIV and AIDS. The partnership was first launched in 1998 by
the then Deputy President Thabo Mbeki. This is a multi disciplinary approach
adopted by the government to ensure that we collectively fight the scourge of
AIDS.
Our theme for this year is partnership against AIDS is “STOP
AIDS, RECOMMIT YOURSELF!!”
In trying to analyse this theme, we will discover that it is an
effort to call upon, individuals, women and men, leaders, business people,
churches, political organisations, all stakeholders and ordinary South Africans
to the battle field against HIV and AIDS. We call on every one to rise up to
the challenges posed by the epidemic.
As a nation we have little choice but work together in a
collaborative manner to defeat this scourge that is destroying life and
disintegrating families. We have said in the past, and we are still saying that
the department is committed to work in partnership with every organisation that
is determined to contribute towards reducing the infection , providing care and
support to those affected and infected by the pandemic.
In reiterating this call, Non-Government organisations, the
private sector and people living with HIV and AIDS are urged to increase their
efforts to reduce the stigma and discrimination by mobilise communities against
such practices.
Whilst we deliberate on the importance of this partnership let
us look at the status and the position of the department in relation to HIV and
AIDS in the province:
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Prevention is highly important and we have declared this year
the of the acceleration of prevention. We have the ability to prevent the AIDS
from spreading by Abstaining, Being faithful and Condomising.
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Those who are HIV positive should lead a healthy life style
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Those with CD4 counts below 200 are put on treatment which
include the ARV
The three points are the cornerstone of our HIV and AIDS
comprehensive programme.
At present we have 26 sites – mainly hospitals giving out
treatment and we will be opening 8 sites that were accredited in September.
This is out of a total of 262 sites nationally.
We are funding 267 organisations who are involved in VCT, home
based caring, high transmission areas, youth HIV and AIDS programmes and NGOs
dealing with people leaving with HIV and AIDS. We are paying stipend to about
3300 carers
Since the inception of this programme in 2004, we appointed 301
officials to focus on the implementation of the comprehensive programme. We
also intent increase the number of officials in the current financial year.
In this province more than 2112 patients have been assessed
while more than 8000 people are on treatment.
So far we have 15 structures on partnership and there is room
for expansion We have an annual STI/condom awareness campaign during
valentine’s days in February.
Having mentioned our efforts it is clear that the government
alone cannot win the battle against HIV and AIDS .We therefore appeal to our
families, friends and peers to know that they can save themselves and save the
nation, by changing our behaviour and leading positive lives.
Let us use this partnership to ensure that the youth women and
children have access to information, education and services to reduce their
vulnerability to HIV and AIDS and its prevalence.
The emancipation of women is also an important factor to reduce
the impact of the epidemic , unless we ensure that women have equal access to
effective HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment services , we must forget about
overcoming our struggle against HIV and AIDS .
We need to strengthen our partnership and always remind
ourselves that our strength lies in our unity .We need to act in synergy with
each other as partners at all times, In so doing it will be easy to quickly
identify opportunistic , faceless people and orginisation who go around robbing
people money in the name of a fight against HIV and AIDS.
We have cases reported in the department of organisations going
around colleting money from the public, teaches and nurses in particular,
promising them laptops and overhead projectors and salaries for more that what
the government pays.
Our community members need to remain vigilant against people
who will go around against people who will go around claiming to be helping
them on HIV and AIDS programmes while their intentions is money extortion
especially on unsuspecting teachers and nurses. We need to report such
activities to the police and government.
We want to reiterate and emphasise that stigma and
discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS compounded by gender
inequality , remains the biggest challenge to HIV and AIDS prevention.
We must therefore recommit ourselves to care for those living
with the disease and the children of those who have died of this disease . In
partnership, through our support they must not be subjected to any form of
discrimination and abuse.
We urge people who have not tested to visit the nearest health
institutions, clinics, health centre or hospitals for voluntary counselling and
testing . They don’t have to pay, it’s free.
We call on those infected with HIV and AIDS and who qualify to
receive treatment to our visit health institutions. Whilst we acknowledge that
the issue of HIV and AIDS is complex, as there are more questions than answers,
our view is that currently there is no cure for AIDS.
Without making any excuses, human resources development is a
big challenge in the department to deal with the management of the disease. We
will however support academic and medical institutions to find medical solution
to this problem.
In conclusion we call on all of us, individuals , youth women
and men , business people , NGOs workers , religious people teachers,
traditional healers and professionals to rally around our theme that says,
“STOP AIDS, RECOMMIT YOURSELF”. Let us continue working in
partnership from the accelerated prevention of HIV and AIDS.
I THANK YOU.
