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(a) What are the details of the government's recently announced expanded HIV-Aids programme (details furnished), (b) how will the programme be (i) financed, (ii) monitored and (iii) rolled out and (c) when will the full details be made available? NO2516E
REPLY
Honourable Member, during the SANAC meeting on August 12th this year, we announced that people who are infected with HIV and have a CD4 count of 350 and less will be eligible for antiretroviral treatment.
In essence this means that more people will now be treated earlier thus decreasing their chances of infecting others and they will also benefit by staying healthier for longer. This will eventually contribute to increased life expectancy which to date has declined due to HIV and related illnesses.
The Department of Health has worked closely with the National Treasury, the World Health Organisation, UNAIDS and experts to conduct analysis and forecasts on the financial implications of the proposed programme.
A well calculated cost has been developed which allowed Government to include some of the projected costs in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework. Consequently, resources have already been made available in the Department of Health budget to cover some of the costs of the programme.
We have received additional funding from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and SANAC successfully submitted a proposal to the Global Fund requesting a significant amount of resources to fund the purchase of antiretroviral drugs and an additional amount of R244 million will be provided through the National Department of Health to procure the additional commodities required.
The Ministers of Health and Finance have also successfully obtained a 53% reduction in the costs of ARVs through a concerted effort and robust engagement with the pharmaceutical industry. This saved the government an amount of R4.7 billion which makes it possible to treat more people.
These initiatives as well as ongoing efforts to maximize efficiencies will enable the costs of the expanded programme to be covered, at least in the short to medium term.
Honourable Members, the National and Provincial Departments of Health have existing systems to monitor their HIV, AIDS and TB programmes, and these systems are being strengthened.
A three tier monitoring system is now being implemented which consists of paper-based monitoring, electronic monitoring and more importantly, a system linking all provinces. In this regard, I can assure this House that patient confidentiality will not be compromised during use of these systems.
As for the implementation of the expanded programme, the new guideline is effective immediately as of this month, and full details of this programme are already in the public domain. Government will continue to interact with the public, stakeholders and practitioners in the field to ensure that all relevant details are known to all.
Honourable Members, I believe that through our combined efforts, and by working together we can defeat the scourge of HIV and AIDS.
I thank you.
Report provided by the Presidency
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