Total expenditure in response to HIV and Aids, including amounts directly spent by provincial health departments, will exceed R3-million in 2004/05, says Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel.
In his mini-Budget speech in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Manuel said R1,1-billion of this would be in the national Department of Health. This figure would rise to R2-billion in 2006/07 for the national department.
However, he said total expenditure in fighting Aids — including amounts spent by provincial health departments — would exceed R3-billion “next year, R4-billion by 2005/06, and R4,8-billion rand in 2006/07”.
“As the costs of drugs come down and our capacity improves, the ability to treat an even larger group of people becomes possible,” Manuel said.
He noted that R90-million had been allocated to the HIV/Aids unit of the Health Department for the national anti-retroviral programme “as approved by Cabinet, conditional on final approval of the operational plan”.
Meanwhile a joint sitting of the Cabinet committees on social and economic sectors on Wednesday received a detailed briefing on the draft Operational Plan for Comprehensive HIV and Aids Care and Treatment “in our country”, said government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe.
The discussion was in preparation for the Cabinet meeting that will take place next week.
He said: “The meeting congratulated the task team for the research and planning that has been done to identify the operational steps required to enhance the government’s treatment programme, in particular, the introduction of anti-retroviral treatment in the public health sector.”
A number of comments were made, including a mention of the areas that require improvement such as the scope of research during the implementation of the programme as well as some legal implications, he said.
“The meeting also noted that the resources required to implement the programme have been allocated in the medium-term expenditure framework, as would be communicated by the Minister of Finance in the medium-term Budget policy statement today.
“The Department of Health and the task team have been requested to work on the matters raised at the meeting, for the report to serve before Cabinet next week,” he said. — I-Net Bridge