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Launch of the AIDS council in the Eastern Cape
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Health

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 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
 SPEECH BY THE MEC  GOQWANA
AT THE LAUNCH OF PROVINCIAL AIDS COUNCIL OF THE EASTERN CAPE
4 JULY 2000.

Master of ceremonies, ladies and gentlemen, today I feel very much honoured to head a Department that spearheads the fight against HIV/AIDS 
in the Eastern Cape. I am also particularly overjoyed of the fact that the Eastern Cape Department is one of the few provincial health 
departments that have taken the initiative of launching the Provincial Aids Council.

The Provincial Aids Council is a product of a long process of consultation with the relevant stakeholders that the Department initiated as 
far back as 1999. It is also a culmination of the continuous effort by the departments officials to galvanise support for a major battle 
against the disease that threatens the survival of human kind especially the young and upcoming generation in our province.

I therefore want to take this opportunity of thanking the officials from my department for the persistent and tireless effort to engage all 
stakeholders in what some people would describe as political expediency by the Eastern Cape Department of Health. Had it not been their 
commitment to ensure that the issue of HIV/AIDS is high on the Development Agenda of the Province, we wouldnt be gathered here today.

I want to also thank all of you for making an effort to come here today despite your planned commitments. Your presence here is an 
indication of your concern about the scourge that is facing our country especially the youth. I hope from now on we will be able to walk 
together as in the olden days when we fought against apartheid. I trust that each and every person present here today will join hands 
together for the common purpose.

Ladies and Gentlemen: HIV/AIDS is a reality. It affects everyone regardless of social standing, race or colour. It also creates a vicious 
circle of which the government plays a crucial role. When a member of the family is infected with the disease, that doesnt only affect the 
family, it also affects the government, which is expected to provide support for the destitute family or the orphans that are often left 
with no one to care for them.

Apart from logistical support the government is expected to provide the infected with anti-viral drugs especially those that are used by 
the pregnant mothers at a cost which is imaginable at present.

At the increasing rate of transmission it is clear that instead of addressing the inequities of the past through progressive funding, the 
Eastern Cape Department of Health will find its minimal funding a significant expenditure will go to , which might affect sustainable 
health service delivery in the province. Apart from the province and the whole nation at large it has become a point of departure for the 
government that unless we join hand s with our neighbours i.e. countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa, the subcontinent will experience severe 
socio-economic hardships in the next decade.

Master of Ceremonies I have to mention a few things about the scourge of HIV/AIDS in our Province. The statistics that have be recently 
released indicate that out of + 7 million people of the Eastern Cape recorded statistics show an increasing rate of infection with the 
metropolis having high recorded number of infections.

There are a lot of misconceptions about the spread of HIV/AIDS especially amongst the Africans. Through my experience as a medical doctor, 
I have come to certain conclusions, which perhaps could be disputed by other experts in the field. There is a large percentage of people 
who die of depression and other stress related diseases as a result of being diagnosed as HIV positive. People who are HIV positive must be 
aware that this is not the end of the road but a beginning of a new life for them. They must first accept their status and begin to find a 
way that is going to keep them healthy, as there is no cure for the disease at this stage. Above all these people need acceptance by their 
families and the communities in which they live. Our cultural inclination sometimes inclinations sometimes creates a conducive environment 
for the spread of HIV/AIDS. Though this might be controversial it must be mentioned that polygamy in certain situations could result in 
many people getting infected with the virus. This equally applies to those who still believe that to prove manhood is to have as many women 
as possible. Talking about sexual activity in many communities is a taboo. This is a barrier we must overcome. It is a painful departure 
from the practices that the older generation, but it is a necessity. Gone are the days when parents wouldnt &#145;t talk to their children 
about sexual activities. Equally important is how we manage our prestigious custom i.e. traditional circumcision. There are people who 
still do not believe that the transmission could occur during the process. If the custom has to be preserved we should make use of sterile 
instruments. Parents must take responsibility of ensuring that their children are safe when they are going to the school.

With the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in our province and nationally, there also emerged some scrupulous characters whose objective is to use 
this unfortunate situation to further their own interests, i.e. either politically or financially. The most disturbing factor is that these 
individuals and organisations continue to mislead people into believing that there is a cure for HIV/AIDS. To achieve this they tend to 
focus on those areas with people who have no access to information. Unfortunately a significant percentage of our province is handicapped 
by lack of access to information due to illiteracy and the geographic distribution of the population. As people charged with the mammoth 
task of bringing health services close to the people we have a responsibility of also ensuring that our people are educated on issues that 
affect their health status.

I want to reiterate the fact that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. However, HIV/AIDS can be controlled by rigorous intervention strategies 
that this Provincial AIDS Council will be recommending to the Eastern Cape Government. Apart from this intervention, it must be clear to 
all the people that the treatment that is given to the AIDS sufferers is merely to cure the opportunistic diseases not AIDS. Drugs are not 
the only solution to the problem. Their continued usage could lead to unexpected side effects and drug resistance.

There are also individuals and groups who continue to confuse our people about the use of certain anti-viral drugs especially those that 
are used by HIV pregnant women to prevent the transmission of the virus from mother to an unborn baby. I must state it categorically that 
there are chances for transmission of the status to an unborn baby at birth might not occur. To prescribe the usage of anti-viral drugs to 
pregnant women knowing fully well that they may develop side effects becomes a futile exercise. Even those people who advocate the usage of 
these drugs are aware of this but they choose not to inform the people because it suits their agenda.

What is more noticeable is the fact that these people echo what the multinational pharmaceutical companies are marketing to the government. 
Through their statements they act as if they are salesperson of these companies. What they do not tell our people is the cost involved. 
These drugs are expensive and if the government could without proper information buy them, and then it would mean that our focus on 
sustainable development would be shifted, which would further impoverish our country.

In conclusion ladies and gentlemen, I have no doubt that the establishment of this Provincial AIDS Council is a major milestone in our 
effort to combat the spread of the virus. This Council will also address the challenges that I have mentioned above. I once again wish to 
thank all of you for making this concept a reality.

Thank you

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