Issued by Ministry of Health
23 March 2006
The Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang met with the MECs for Health (National Health Council) to discuss various health issues in Pretoria today.
The National Health Council (NHC) called on all South Africans to support the World TB Day that will be observed tomorrow. The main event will be at King George Hospital in Durban where Minister Tshabalala-Msimang will launch the country's TB Crisis Management Plan.
The NHC also hosted and bid farewell to the former MEC for Health in Gauteng and now the Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa. The NHC also welcomed the appointment of Mr Brian Hlongwa as the new MEC for Health in Gauteng.
The NHC reviewed the expenditure of health budget, particularly conditional grants channelled through the National Department to Provincial Departments of Health. The expenditure on the conditional grant on HIV and AIDS is running smoothly with more than 90% of the R1, 1 billion already spent by last month.
The meeting raised concern about the trends in the expenditure on the Hospital Revitalisation programme in some provinces. There is a need for better coordination with Public Works to speed up approval and implementation of capital projects.
The meeting discussed the role of retired nurses in continuing to assist in the delivery of health services. The meeting agreed that these nurses still have a critical role to play and agreed that the national Health Department should provide guidelines on how these skills can be utilised in various provinces.
The meeting noted progress that is being made in negotiating the draft Charter for the Health Sector. The Charter is being negotiated by representatives of at least eight constituencies in the health sector.
The draft Charter is being redrafted to incorporate the agreements reached during the negotiations. The revised draft Charter will be considered by the negotiating team next month with the aim of taking it to various constituencies and stakeholders for mandates.
The NHC also received a presentation from the Embassy of the United States of America on the implementation of the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) in South Africa.
Pepfar was launched in 2004 with the allocation of US$15 billion for a five-year response to HIV and AIDS in 15 countries including South Africa. It was reported that at least 300 organisations or institutions are funded by Pepfar in South Africa.
The NHC emphasised that donor funding including Pepfar should be aligned with the national priorities in South Africa. Treatment protocols should be aligned to prevent development of resistance and other treatment difficulties.
Some of the challenges raised about the programme include cash flow difficulties that may lead to interruption of treatment and sustainability of the Pepfar funded project post the five-year lifespan of the programme.
It was agreed that there should be further engagement between the Department of Health and US Government to ensure protection of the interest of patients
Contact: Sibani Mngadi @ 0827720161