The government has allocated R2,1-billion over a three-year period for the “comprehensive” response to HIV/Aids, including provision for anti-retroviral treatment programmes by provinces through a conditional grant, according to the Budget released by Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel on Wednesday.
This will be broken up into R373-million in 2004/05, R648-million in 2005/06 and R1,05-billion rand in 2006/07, according to a chart indicating additional allocations to selected votes.
This allocation goes to the various departments of health through conditional grants to the nine provinces.
In addition, R161-million has been allocated to the national Department of Health to fund the national component.
Total HIV/Aids-related spending by the government amounts to R12,3-billion over the next three years.
The Budget Review noted that voluntary counselling and testing “is now widely available at 2Â 000 sites”.
“The mother-to-child prevention programme is rolled out to over 650 sites, and efforts are being made to step-up this quality,” said the review.
At the cost of R104-million, 358-million condoms were distributed in 2002/03 and “increasing usage is demonstrated by various national behavioural surveys”.
The post-exposure prophylaxis programme for victims of sexual assault “is funded through the conditional grant, with three provinces achieving close to full coverage”, noted the review.
It also reported that “other preventive” programmes are funded, such as loveLife, Soul City and Lifeline projects and various NGOs.
Programmes are being extended to new sites such as Trucking against Aids, the Commuters Aids Project, Traditional Leaders Aids Programme and Men in Partnership against Aids.
It reported too that there are about 466 home-based care projects countrywide and half of these receive government support. South Africa is also conducting “a number of leading edge vaccine development research programmes along with international partners at a cost of about R75-million annually”. — I-Net Bridge