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Manuel gives health a dose of curative cash
Jillian Green. 19 February 2004. The Star. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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HIV-positive Mbulelo Mangqu is living in hope following Finance Minister Trevor Manuel's budgetary allocation to health and the fight against HIV/AIDS.
"I welcome the money that has been provided but I wonder how long it will take for this to translate into actual anti-retrovirals for people who need them. People are losing their lives now and I could be one of them if we do not have access to drugs soon," Mangqu said.
Mangqu already has a low CD4 count and should have been on anti-retroviral drugs two years ago, but is unable to afford them.
Manuel, in his annual Budget on Wednesday, allocated R2,1-billion for the roll-out of anti-retroviral drugs. HIV/AIDS spending amounts to R3,3-billion in the coming year.
Over the next three years government spending on the HIV/AIDS pandemic and tuberculosis will total R12,3-billion.
Apart from allocations for HIV/AIDS, health spending will also include the implementation of the new rural and scarce skills allowances aimed at improving health services in remote areas and retaining highly skilled professionals within the health service.
Added to this, 27 hospitals will either be upgraded or replaced as part of the government's hospital revitalisation plan.
Manuel's allocations have been met with positive reaction from various stakeholders in the health sector. Treatment Action Campaign spokesperson Mark Heywood said the HIV/AIDS activist organisation was satisfied with the budget allocations. "We believe it is sufficient to carry out the operational plan as the amounts tally with budgeted amounts contained in the plan.
"Our biggest challenge now is to ensure that the money is moved rapidly to the provinces and to ensure that there is proper expenditure at this level. We will increasingly be turning our attention to what is happening at provincial level."
Chief executive officer of Johannesburg Hospital Sagie Pillay welcomed the allocations, saying that they were an indication that "things were moving in the right direction". Pillay added that the rural allowance was a positive step in attracting people to work in rural health centres.
For the full text of the 2004 Budget speech, please click on the link on the righthand side of this page. |
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