By Sydney Masinga
Mbombela - More than R2 billion has been spent on health infrastructure in Mpumalanga in the past five years to ensure equitable access to healthcare facilities.
Delivering his State of the Province Address in Mbombela on Friday, Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza said progress has been made in expanding primary health care to remote and under-serviced areas of the province, especially rural areas.
“Clinics and community health facilities have been built to improve the accessibility and quality of health care that citizens receive. We have spent over R2.57 billion in health infrastructure in the last five years…,” said Premier Mabuza.
He said the hospital revitalisation programme has ensured that some of the major hospitals also receive the necessary support in terms of better infrastructure and equipment to improve the quality of healthcare.
Premier Mabuza also mentioned that life expectancy in the province has improved from 48.8 to 55 years for males and 52 to 60.1 years for female, while maternal mortality has been reduced from 157 to 112 per 100 000 live births. Despite progress made this number is still unacceptably high, he said.
“We will continue to intensify our efforts to ensure that our mothers attend the appropriate antenatal care services timeously and that our capacity to manage neonatal complications is strengthened.
“We have also improved the overall immunisation coverage of children less than one year and by 2013. Over 83% of our children had received the required immunisations,” he said.
HIV and Aids, TB
The Premier also said that the TB cure rate improved from 73.1% in 2009 to 76.5% in 2011, while the fight against HIV is also intensifying.
“The provincial strategy for HIV and Aids, STIs and TB has been developed and implemented to respond comprehensively to the challenges of HIV and Aids,” Premier Mabuza said.
He said in the fight against the HIV and Aids pandemic, the province has targeted increasing access to treatment, counselling and testing.
“Remarkable progress has been made in the fight against HIV and Aids. Female condom distribution has increased from 230 698 to 1 221 401 above the set target of 438 000; 100% of public health facilities are providing counselling and testing.
"Currently 32 hospitals have been declared anti-retroviral therapy (ART) sites, which increased the number of patients who are put on ART from 70 310 to 227 663,” he said.
The Premier said the battle against diseases such as HIV and Aids is far from over and requires on-going interventions and innovative strategies on a number of fronts.
“The province has established and launched the Mpumalanga Provincial Aids Council with the primary objective of coordinating a multi-sectorial response to HIV and Aids, STIs and TB,” said the Premier. – SAnews.gov.za
