Patrick Kulati
Pretoria - A few years back one would never have thought of hearing a minister of health boldly and confidently stating that there is a possibility to end the HIV epidemic.
Joe Phaahla, the Minister of Health, made this brave statement at the recently ended 11th South African Aids Conference, held in Durban. While the minister made this remark, he is equally aware of the challenging road ahead for such a picture-perfect status to be attained.
The Aids Conference is an important event and beyond just being another mere talk shop – the conference has over the years, even before the pre-Covid-19 period, always been a critical platform where various voices in the public and private sectors, and funders, are huddled up to honestly converse about the various challenges, caused largely by this scourge.
The current reality when it comes to young people is that infections are prevalent, persistent, and at lightning speed. Almost three decades into SA’s constitutional democracy, we still have a challenge when it comes to reliable access to youth-friendly healthcare services.
Sadly, the latest statistics state new HIV infections are high in KwaZulu-Natal, affecting young people aged between 15 and 24, with 1300 of them infected on a weekly basis. This horrific statistic largely affects young people from underprivileged areas and calls for more effort to be put in.
It's in this light that the conference yet again reiterated that the role played by civil society is critical, and enhances efforts made by the government. The New LoveLife Trust (loveLife), the South African National Aids Council (Sanac), and other like-minded bodies should continue playing a meaningful role when it comes to challenges around access to youth-friendly services in healthcare, in rural and urban areas.
Communities, in a desperate cry for help, are always calling for help when it comes to the plethora of plights faced by young people. There are many. But with one piece of the puzzle put together at a given time, a lot can be achieved through community-friendly partnerships.
Some of these partnerships need resources, which in turn need financial investments. Lately, with most global economies depressed, or facing stagnated growth, most funders are asking more questions when it comes to funding requests. The kitty is getting thinner as there must be a better value proposition, and a clearly defined return on investment, particularly for those meant to benefit from the proposed programme.
It then means we have to be clear in our resolve. We need to boldly state that young people are the ultimate beneficiaries, and as loveLife, ours is a labour of love aimed at seeing young people turning out as better adults, the chosen ones to lead tomorrow.
The work being done by Sanac should not be taken lightly as the goal, such as the one set out by Phaahla, must rather be heeded, and fully supported. To achieve such an ambitious goal, as set out by Phaahla, we need to support implementing organisations with proven track records – which can carry out stated goals, beyond the conference.
The National Strategic Plan 2023-2028 (NSP) is a five-year plan aimed at reducing what has been a sticking point for years, a stagnated and almost non-existence access to health and social services. These are critical services, yet are often hampered by corrupt officials, inept service delivery and the general collapse of effective service meant to serve the young and old.
The current NSP, notably states: “It promotes a new and urgent focus to reduce inequalities for all people living with HIV, TB, and STIs who are not benefitting from treatment and care services,” – a line largely taking from the lessons of the previous NSP. South Africans, particularly the downtrodden and victims of prevalent inequality in SA, want to be better treated and receive services laced with an inkling of dignity.
In his closing remarks at the conference, Phaahla stated the “importance of a multi-sectoral approach. That the NSP must be measured in implementation for it to be lauded, as indeed a People’s NSP. It is now the time to facilitate the finalisation of the provincial plans and ensure that resources are solicited and the NSP becomes fully optimised with people-and communities in the centre. This calls for everyone involved to play a critical part. We cannot fail.”
LoveLife, formed twenty-four years ago, was established solely among some of the stated goals of the NSP, specifically to focus on HIV/Aids and the pandemic’s impact on young people, during the years when the scourge was ravaging communities across South Africa, and young people hugely infected and affected. To this day, unabated, loveLife continues to work and impact young people’s lives, with an expanded mandate yielding results.
It's in this light that partnerships with a critical stakeholder such as the National Department of Health matters, and largely centred around the strategic objectives of the department, and as loveLife, we are ready to play a role when it comes to improving quality adolescent and youth-friendly services at primary healthcare services, create demand for health services by young people and continuously impact on the entire health, development, well-being of adolescents and young people.
The Aids Conference, under the theme of “Act, Connect, and End the Epidemic,” should call on all of us to live up to such a rallying call. We owe it to our youth, and generations to come that we took the right steps, and we were ready to see that our lack of acting is in return failing our young people.
* Kulati is the chief executive officer of the New LoveLife Trust
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.
Pretoria News