Health programmes to benefit KZN learners

Speaking during a stakeholder engagement held in Pholela in the Midlands, Dhlomo announced that the department was in the process of advertising posts for school nurses who will help in the implementation of reproductive health programmes in schools, including the promotion of family planning.

He noted that one in 10 girls below the age of 18 are HIV positive and also get an added burden of being pregnant at young.

"In the total number of deliveries anywhere in this country and province, 10% is by girls below the age of 18 years.

"Unless we close the tap that leads to young girls falling pregnant at an early age and acquiring HIV, we will not be able to put an end to the HIV scourge that seems to be taking away our young girls," he said, adding that girls start having sex as early as 12 years of age.

The roll out of the programme in the province follows a recent announcement by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi about the Schools Health Programme to be launched with the Ministers of Basic Education and Social Development, where permanent nurses would be deployed in schools to provide primary health care.

Motsoaledi announced that 8 000 poor schools, who are in dire need of nurses, have been identified to start the programme and a task team has been put together to run it.

During the State of the Nation Address, President Jacob Zuma also announced that government will broaden the scope of reproductive health rights and provide services related to, among others, contraception, sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancy and sanitary towels for the indigent.

The World Health Organisation's South African Representative, Dr Stella Anyangwe, commended the South African government for having the largest HIV programme in the world, with more than 1.5 million people on antiretroviral treatment.

"While South Africa has a large number of people with HIV ... your government's response is tremendous, with the largest ART programme on earth," she said.

On Tuesday, 27 September 2011, Dhlomo, together with Anyangwe, director of TB/HIV Care Association, Professor Harry Hausler and US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Liaison in KwaZulu-Natal, Chalone Savant, were at the Pholela Community Healthcare Centre to hand over four GeneXpert TB Diagnosis machines to the local hospitals and clinics.

The TB diagnostic machine makes the results of the diagnosis available within two hours.