Theme: It is in our hands to end HIV and TB
The Free State Provincial Government, working with civil society under the umbrella of the Provincial Council on Aids, is hard at work in preparation for the commemorative events of the annual World Aids Day, 1 December. This year 2016, the commemorative events will be held in Welkom, Zuka Baloyi Stadium under the instructive theme of It is in our hands to end HIV and Aids.
Since 2009, the Free State Provincial Government has ensured that there is a rotation of hosting the World Aids Day events in the different districts of the province. This is aimed at ensuring that each citizen of the province is able to interact with the heightened activism of the fight against the scourge of HIV and Aids.
We are satisfied that the Department of Health has stabilized the various programmes that help to fortify our comprehensive response and fight to end the scourge of HIV and AIDS. This is more important if we are to consider that our country is faced with a quadruple disease burden, mental ill-health also features prominently in its high level of co-morbidity with infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB).
Its association with the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus; high levels of violence and injury; and maternal and child illness.
Mental health problems are common in HIV disease, and they cause considerable morbidity, and are often not easily detected by physicians. It is prudent therefore to increase levels of adherence to the treatment for either TB, HIV and AIDS and other non-communicable diseases.
South Africa is renowned world-wide for having implemented the most radical and comprehensive fight against the HIV and AIDS. In recent years since 2009, the country has increasingly enabled access to life saving drugs, implemented various programmes aimed at easing access to prevention, treatment and destigmatisation programmes for all the people that are infected and affected by the virus. As part of rolling out these progressive, comprehensive and holistic programmes, the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, announced in his budget speech on the 10th May 2016 that in order to reach the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets by 2020, South Africa had to scale-up National Health Insurance (NHI) facility decongestion to reach 800 000 patients during 2016-2017 financial year. The country would implement the World Health Organisation (WHO) evidence-based guidelines of Universal Test and Treat (UTT) by 1stSeptember 2016.
The Universal Test and Treat programme directly supports the UNAIDS targets of ensuring that:-
90% of all people living with HIV know their status
90% of people diagnosed with HIV receive sustained ART and
90% of people receiving ART have viral suppression
What is Universal Test and Treat – UTT?
UTT means that all HIV positive people (children, adolescents and adults) will be started on lifelong Anti- Retroviral Treatment (ART) as soon as they are diagnosed, regardless of their CD4 count. This is meant to assist them not to wait until their immune system is weak. Clients who had already tested positive and are on Wellness program shall be considered for UTT.
Willingness and readiness to start ART shall be assessed and clients who are not ready after assessment shall be kept in the wellness programmes to sustain the strengthening of their immune systems through healthy living programmes.
What is the state of readiness of the Free State?
The province has started with the process of freeing up space in the clinics through implementing differentiated care facility decongestion strategies namely:-
Spaced and fast-lane appointments
Adherence Clubs
Central Chronic Medication Dispensing & Distribution (CCMDD)
This means that clients who are adherent and stable on treatment can be allowed to choose a preferred medication collection service amongst the abovementioned 3 options. This will allow clinic personnel to focus on the new clients to be admitted with introduction of UTT.
Source: Government of South Africa