Strategic Aids plan approved
Shaun Benton
4 May 2007The South African Cabinet has approved the national strategic plan to combat HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases over the next five years.
Addressing the media after Wednesday's Cabinet meeting, government spokesperson Themba Maseko said the newly restructured South African National Aids Council, headed by Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, had also endorsed the plan.
According to Maseko, the primary goal of the national strategic plan is to reduce the rate of new HIV infections and to mitigate the impact of Aids on individuals, families and communities.
The new plan, which will be in effect between 2007 and 2011, "aims to achieve a 50% reduction of new infections by 2011 and provide an appropriate package of treatment, care and support services," he said.
The package provided by the plan includes counselling and testing services as an entry point, healthy lifestyle interventions including nutritional support, treatment of opportunistic infections, anti-retroviral therapy and monitoring, and evaluation to assess progress and share research.
The government first announced South Africa's anti-retroviral treatment programme in 2006, claiming it was likely to be the largest programme of its type in the world.
At that time, over 130 000 people were receiving anti-retroviral treatment through government programmes, on top of the more than 80 000 people receiving anti-retroviral treatment from the private healthcare sector.
By September last year, the number of HIV-infected people in South Africa receiving anti-retroviral treatment at 272 sites around the country was reaching 250 000.
In the 2007/08 Budget presented in February this year, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced an additional R1.65-billion for comprehensive treatment.
With this additional funding over a three-year period, the numbers of people receiving comprehensive treatment against HIV and Aids is expected to double, according to the 2007 Budget Review.
Government departments are expected to spend in excess of R5-billion on dedicated HIV and Aids programmes per year by 2009/10.
Source: BuaNews
