Gauteng finance MEC Jabu Moleketi has confirmed the provincial government’s intentions to intensify its antiretroviral programmes by allocating the health department a lion’s share of the budget.
The department — together with education — are to receive more than R8-billion each from the total R27,03-billion budget, and social services will get R4,59-billion.
The province’s intentions on antiretrovirals were touched on by premier Mbhazima Shilowa during his opening of the legislature last week when he said his government would press on with providing anti-Aids drugs in public health centres.
One of the government’s key areas of focus regarding the Aids programme, includes the extension of programmes preventing the transmission of HIV from mother to child at all Gauteng clinics with a maternity service.
This year’s allocation to health — R8,11-billion ‒ represents an increase of over six percent from last year’s R7,59-billion.
Education has been allocated R8,85-billion — up 8,46% from last year’s R8,16-billion. Presenting the budget, Moleketi made it clear, however, that while expenditure had increased by 100% since the first budget, the province was being challenged to provide high quality and efficient services.
”For example, the United States and the United Kingdom spend a substantially smaller percentage of their budget on education than South Africa, yet the quality of their education is ranked 107 places above South Africa’s according to the latest World Competitiveness Report,” he said.
The challenge was for the provincial government to achieve efficiency when managing the budget and expenditure, Moleketi said. The fact that the current budget was R15-billion more than the inaugural one of 1995 demonstrated a truly remarkable growth, while indications were that the province remained on the right track in putting the budget to good use by creating better opportunities for all, the MEC said.
Gauteng’s economy has grown at an average of over three percent compared to the national average of 2,7%. The province’s contribution to the national gross domestic product is currently just under 34%. – Sapa