TO: THE MEDIA
DATE: 27 OCTOBER 2009

HIV and Aids summit opened at high note of commitment to scale up ARV provision

The Head of the Department (HoD) of Health in KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Sibongile Zungu, opened the first of its kind HIV & AIDS Comprehensive Care Management and Treatment Summit held at the Dranksberg resort (Alpine Heath), yesterday evening (26 October 2009), at a high note committing to scaled up anti-retroviral treatment programme in the province.

The HoD told delegates, from various sectors in and out of government, gathered for the Summit to do all that is possible to ensure that everyone who needs treatment receives it, on time to prolong their active life. She said this will be done through, amongst other things, visiting each and every ward (or home, if need be) starting with the poorest 57 wards (in terms of the Joint Cluster Flagship Programme) in the province:

testing people for HIV in order for people to know their status;
clinically classifying all those who are HIV positive and directing them to necessary interventions of care, support and management;
correctly managing those who are HIV negative to ensure that they remain negative for the rest of their lives; and
enrolling those in need of treatment into near home treatment programmes.

“Coupled with these militaristic interventions will be proper disease management protocols to ensure that people adhere and complete tuberculosis (and sexually transmitted infections) treatment programmes. We will also intensify our behaviour change interventions enlisting the assistance of intermediaries such as faith based organisations, women’s and youth societies and traditional leaders.

In this way, we will be able to be assured that people do not die prematurely as we already have evidence that people resume their normal lives if enrolled timeously into treatment programmes. The success of these noble endeavours depends on a new type of health professionals. People whose commitment to service is unwavering and who put people before earnings and everything else” said the Head of the department, Dr Sibongile Zungu.

The Summit continued today, and will continue until tomorrow, with various speakers addressing a number of themes such as;

• Current and emerging issues,
• Best Practices in CCMT,
• Bridging Gaps and finding solutions,
• Scaling up, and