The Western Cape is to extend its anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment to include every child under 14 who needs it, Premier Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Monday.
The province is acknowledged as having one of South Africa’s most effective treatment programmes.
Talking to staff, patients and the media at Groote Schuur hospital, Van Schalkwyk said that among a host of milestones, Monday’s announcement made him feel the most ”proud”.
”This milestone has been made possible partly because of the success of our prevention of mother-to-child-transmission programme, which has reduced HIV transmission from HIV-positive mothers to their babies to approximately 8% in the Western Cape,” said Van Schalkwyk.
He said Monday’s announcement was also made possible by an important public-private partnership between the provincial department of health and the United Kingdom’s One to One Children’s Fund, which had committed more than R2,5-million to the cause and which already funded the treatment of 220 children at Groote Schuur.
Van Schalkwyk said the provincial health department last year undertook to have about 500 children on treatment in the current financial year, in addition to approximately 700 children already receiving treatment.
”They represent roughly 30% of all those who would need such assistance. Some of these children have already been receiving treatment for almost two years, many of whom may already have died without this help,” he said.
The main sites where children are being treated are Groote Schuur hospital, Red Cross Children’s hospital, Tygerberg hospital, Khayelitsha, Paarl, George and Worcester, with children later also able to obtain treatment at any of the province’s 16 roll-out sites.
Van Schalkwyk said among the region’s achievements was effectively rolling-out a prevention-of-mother-to-child transmission programme to 100% of pregnant mothers attending public health facilities in the province; negotiating an agreement with the Global Fund to secure $66,5-million over five years to help treat people; opening 16 ARV treatment sites this year, where more than 2 000 HIV-positive people were being treated; and last week forming another R30-million partnership with ARK from Europe to place at least another 1 500 mothers on ARV treatment.
”Each of these achievements has represented lives saved,” he said.
Van Schalkwyk also took the opportunity to extend formally the partnership with One to One, adding that provincial government would take over funding of ARV drugs and laboratory costs for the 220 children by April 1 2005, while the British organisation continued to assist in mentoring clinicians and provide other inputs in the treatment programme. — Sapa