Cape Town – MPs will get the chance to undergo an HIV test in Parliament next week, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said on Wednesday during the presentation of his department’s annual report, which was praised by parliamentarians.
Briefing the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on health, Motsoaledi said the testing will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday in Parliament after the Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe met recently with presiding officers in Parliament.
“We believe if that becomes successful here, we will then ask the Deputy President to encourage the executive council in every province to also do the same thing.
“Then from there, to encourage the district mayors to do the same thing in every district, then encourage the local mayors in every municipality, at the end of which every South African needs to know their (HIV) status,” said Motsoaledi.
He said between 2008 and this year, the country’s mother-to-child rate of HIV transmission had fallen from 8% to 2% last year, adding that the department aimed to reduce the rate to just 1% by 2015.
He said as a result of the progress South Africa has made in tackling HIV/Aids, a special booklet published by UNAIDS was being distributed internationally as a best practice example on how to fight HIV/Aids.
In the last financial year, just under nine million people tested for HIV, including 85% of TB patients (up from 83% in 2011/12) and 98% of pregnant women.
A total of 612 118 new patients were put on antiretroviral treatment and 422 262 male circumcisions were also conducted in the last financial year.
Meanwhile, MPs and committee chair Vuyo Goqwana commended the department for having helped improve health outcomes and make progress in tackling HIV/Aids and for improving financial management at the department.
Improved financial controls
The department’s Director-General, Precious Matsoso, singled out that irregular spending had declined from R24 million in 2011/12 to R2 million in the last financial year, following a number of measures that the department had put in place.
Much of the progress was made by using donor funding to take on 371 unemployed financial management, information technology and human resources graduates to boost things such as revenue collection, said Matsoso.
However, while the department had developed norms and standards in IT, HR, quality and infrastructure, just two of the nine provinces (along with the national Department of Health) – Western Cape and North West – received unqualified audits for the 2012/13 financial year.
Commenting on the Limpopo Heath Department’s disclaimer by the Auditor General over documents that were not presented on time to substantiate R500 million in spending, Motsoaledi explained that the documents largely related to one contractor, who had not wanted to hand over the documents as it was in the process of a court case.
When the documents could later be presented to the department, following the Auditor General’s audit, the amount of unsubstantiated spending fell to R4 million.
However, one positive development was that in the last financial year, no irregular spending was recorded by the Limpopo Health Department.
Other progress recorded by the department included:
- An immunisation rate of 94% of children was reached in the last financial year.
- Over 945 municipal ward-based primary health care teams were set up by the end of March this year, against a target of 500 teams.
- A cumulative incidence of malaria of 0.18 per 1 000 of the population, against the target of 0.4 per 1 000, with the country claiming the African Leaders Malaria Award for excellence in the fight against malaria.
Matsoso said using development aid funds, the department was also setting up a Mindset Health Channel, which is currently being installed in 122 facilities and is aimed at providing information to the public on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The department also purchased three mobile clinics to visit schools and carry out immunisations and it would probably purchase a further 60 mobile units – some of them more equipped to go on poor rural roads – using EU funding.
Matsoso said health service innovations and preparation for the National Health Insurance (NHI) were rolled out in 10 selected districts.
Among other things, these include: roadshows in each of the districts; NHI management structures set up by the respective provinces; the introduction of staffing norms and the launch of district clinical specialist teams. – SAnews.gov.za
