March 16, 2004
By Bontle Moeng
FOUR Johannesburg hospitals will be among the first public hospitals to provide anti-retroviral treatment as part of a national programme to provide medication to people with HIV and Aids.
The Gauteng government this week announced that its programme to supply the anti-retroviral medication at major public health facilities would begin on 1 April.
This comes in the wake of cabinet's approval of the national government's plan for the comprehensive care, management and treatment of HIV and Aids.
Anti-retroviral treatment will be given to those patients who meet specific clinical criteria, said Gauteng MEC for health, Gwen Ramokgopa. "The implementation of the treatment programme will prioritise the poor and the vulnerable, those who are not on medical aid and who can't afford to pay for treatment themselves."
"We support the national cabinet in the belief that the provision of anti-retroviral treatment, if administered properly, can enhance the quality of life of those who have reached an advanced stage of Aids", Ramokgopa added.
Gauteng's programme will be implemented in several phases, with the first phase including the Johannesburg, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Helen Joseph and Coronation hospitals. Kalafong Hospital in Pretoria will also form part of the first phase.
The second phase will include the George Mukhari Hospital, the Pretoria Academic Hospital, Natalspruit Hospital, Leratong Hospital, and the Far East Rand and Kopanong hospitals.
The third phase will include Hillbrow Hospital, Tembisa Hospital, Sebokeng Hospital and the Lilian Ngoyi community health centre. The fourth phase will target the community health centres in Zola, Soshanguve, Daveyton, Laudium, Khutsong and Empilisweni.
In order to implement the national plan in Gauteng, 23 service points where health professionals will be recruited and trained, specifically on the national comprehensive care plan. According to the national plan, every health district in the country should have at least one service point within the year.
An amount of R95-million has been allocated to Gauteng to implement the comprehensive care programme - R50-million from the national coffers and R45-million from a provincial grant.
"Our primary challenge is to ensure that the 40-million South Africans who are not infected with HIV stay that way; and that those who are infected but have not as yet progressed to an advanced stage of Aids can lead a normal life through proper nutrition, healthy lifestyles and treatment of opportunistic infections," Ramokgopa said.
For more information contact the Gauteng Department of Health on 011 355 3000.
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