South Africa : North West Province aims for 10 000 more patients on ARVs

By Gabi Khumalo

North West - The North West Department of Health is set to increase the number of patients on anti retroviral treatment (ART) by 10 000 patients in the next financial year.

The department said in a statement that with the 2011 national strategic targets set at reducing infection by 5 percent in 2011and a 29 percent HIV prevalence in the province, 53 944 patients are on treatment with 10 000 more in the next financial year.

In an effort to meet these targets, the department has 466 public voluntary counselling and testing centres, 314 Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission facilities and 18 High Transmission Intervention sites in the province, the department said.

The department also has 22 accredited sites including hospitals, community Health Centres and Public health Centres to offer ART, 28 community-based organisations have been accredited as part of down referral programme.

These accredited sites refer stable patients to community based organisations where quality Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care, Management and Treatment can be continued thereby ensuring monitoring of drug adherence and tracing of patients who default treatment.

The model is doing wonders in Bojanala District and Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District and will be rolled out to other districts, the department said.

The strategy is consistent with the World Health Organisation's recommendation that health care systems urgently shift from acute, hospital-based care to community based and patient centered chronic care.

The department explained that for a patient to be referred, they must have been on ART for at least six months and clinically stable on treatment and also show no sign of side effect and adverse drug reaction.

The progress is reviewed every six months to ensure continuation.

In June, the provincial department conducted a collaborative and consultative process to develop a provincial HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan for 2007-2011.

The priority areas are prevention, treatment, care and support, research, monitoring and surveillance as well as human rights and access to justice.

Provincial Health MEC Nomonde Rasmeni said at the time various provincial government departments and sectors like Business, People Living with HIV and AIDS, municipalities and non-government organisations (NGOs), had participated in the developing and aligning the strategic plan.

In speeding up the implementation of HIV and AIDS plan, the department has strengthening prevention initiatives and expanding the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission services.

Ms Rasmeni said the implementation of the plan includes increasing health promotion initiatives, strengthening treatment, care and support by increasing Voluntary Counselling Testing (VCT) uptake and accrediting more facilities to provide anti retroviral therapy.

She said the focus was on providing initiated HIV testing and counselling of TB patients including prevention of infections. - BuaNews