Africa should put more effort and resources into the fight against HIV/Aids, Health Minister Barbara Hogan said on Monday.
According to statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 22,5-million people infected by the HI virus are from sub-Saharan Africa.
”These statistics emphasise a need for us to invest more effort and resources to tackle this problem,” she said, opening the seventh Pan-African Conference of Red Cross Societies at the Sandton Convention Centre, Gauteng.
She also made a call to delegates to beef up efforts that will ensure collaboration in reducing the malaria rate on the continent.
”It is a known fact that 80% of the global burden of malaria occurs in Africa. What we need out of this conference are clear plans that will indicate to us as governments how best we can tackle this problem, on an individual country level, country to country, but also on the regional level.”
Hogan said that is what millions of people across the continent expect, and ”they are right in their expectation”.
”We cannot fail, dare not fail, the people of the our continent,” she said.
She said child-headed homes is one of the main problems affecting Africa because children miss out on education and become exposed to sex work, which in turn exposes them to diseases.
”They become attractive to warlords who use them as child soldiers in fighting wars that destroy infrastructure, economy and further contributes to underdevelopment,” said Hogan.
She said the conference has to come up with clear plans detailing how the continent intends to address issues of sustainable livelihoods and volunteer management related to children.
Migration remains another factor that continues to prevail in Africa as a result of political and civil instability, said Hogan.
”I am glad that this conference has identified migration as one of the issues that needs to be dealt with, given the impact it has on individuals, families and communities.”
The minister said she is looking forward to the finalisation of a memorandum of understanding that South Africa will be signing with the South African Red Cross Society. ”I wish to assure this conference that this MoU will be signed as soon as our legal teams have finalised all the legal issues pertaining to agreements of this kind.”
The memorandum will enable the government to cooperate in supporting the development of the Red Cross Society and the Red Cross Air Mercy Service Trust in South Africa. — Sapa