It’s all systems go in the Eastern Cape as the province prepares to host the National Aids Day commemoration event at Sisa Dukashe Stadium on the 01 December. The World Aids Day event will be headlined by Deputy President Paul Mashatile who is the Chairperson of the South African National Aids Council.
Addressing a preparatory meeting for the World Aids Day earlier today, Premier Mabuyane urged organisers to work together to ensure a successful event. "The eyes of the nation, Africa and the world will be on the Eastern Cape on the 1st of December, let us put our best foot forward and deliver a memorable event. Let us strengthen the mobilisation of our people, particularly in Buffalo City Metro to attend the event in large numbers on the day.”
Premier Mabuyane also commended the efforts of government, civil society, NGOs and business, in the fight against HIV/Aids in the Eastern Cape. He said through collaboration by various stakeholders, many lives have been saved in the past few years. "We have realised that partnership and collaboration with all sectors, including developmental partners, is a winning strategy to enhance service delivery to the people of Eastern Cape. This realisation has been observed and is appreciated more in the HIV and TB response platform, where this is efficiently coordinated through the Eastern Cape Council on AIDS (ECAC),” said Mabuyane.
He assured stakeholders in the meeting that government, through the Eastern Cape Aids Council is committed to intensifying its approach to strengthening preventive health services, including health promotion initiatives, to reduce the high burden of disease, and manage the impact of the disease through biomedical interventions. The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces that had high incidents of HIV/Aids related mortality in the 1990s with many children left orphaned. Through the rollout of ARVs and Educational Awareness Campaigns that picture has gradually changed for the better in the past 15 years.
In her presentation to the meeting, Senior Researcher for the Eastern Cape Aids Council Dr Pelisa Dana affirmed that there is improvement on voluntary testing, and access to treatment in the Eastern Cape.
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