Politics

AIDS activists are hoping that the country's new administration will make good on promises to urgently improve access to affordable HIV/AIDS treatment and services at state hospitals. The country's three political parties - ZANU-PF and the two factions of the majority Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) - signed a power-sharing deal on 15 September, ending one of the worst periods of inter-party political violence since Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980. Despite scepticism that the three parties will be able to work together, the deal has brought hope to many ordinary Zimbabweans, particularly those living with HIV, who have been battling to cope in the current harsh economic and political environment. Of the estimated 320,000 people in need of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, only about 100,000 are accessing the medication at public health facilities. Besides the treatment gap, government hospitals are struggling to deliver services in the face of shortages of drugs, medical staff and foreign currency.

The good news on medical schemes is that the industry is turning around from huge losses. The bad news is that nobody's tracking how much medical costs consumers are carrying. On average, the industry performed pretty well, according to acting registrar of medical schemes Patrick Matshidze.

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has upped the ante in her battle with the private healthcare sector to control the spiralling costs of health and medicines by rejecting suggestions that she was the minister of public health and should only focus on that sector.

Aggressive programmes to treat HIV-positive people using highly active antiretroviral therapy could reduce the number of new HIV cases by as much as 60 percent, according to a study published on Tuesday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, Toronto's Globe and Mail reports.

Failure to properly manage HIV/AIDS strategies for employees has led to some workplace programmes being closed down because audits have revealed unacceptable costs.

Health minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang this week presented what may be her final budget as head of the health portfolio. She used the opportunity to mainly present successes by her department. The minister also used the occasion to claim victory in the battle against AIDS declaring that the 2007 HIV antenatal survey has shown a 1,2% drop in HIV prevalence among pregnant women.

Private hospitals yesterday complained to Parliament that their suggestions to the health department on ways to improve South Africans access to healthcare without resorting to regulation were falling on deaf ears.

Closing date: 13 June 2008

The Child, Youth, Family and Social Development Programme is looking for a suitably qualified person to work within one of its research projects, called Going to Scale. Going to Scale is a large scale longitudinal study which aims to generate scientific and policy relevant knowledge about how South Africa's children are being affected by the crises of HIV/AIDS and household poverty. Employees will be based at a research site in Sweetwaters, just outside Pietermaritzburg.

Doctors in private practice will flee the country in droves if Health Minister Manto Tshabalala- Msimang caps the rates they may charge patients. That is according to a survey of doctors, commissioned by the SA Medical Association. It found that most doctors and specialists in private practice would emigrate if the National Health Amendment Bill were enacted. Of the 2568 general practitioners and specialists who responded to the survey, 60percent said they would consider leaving the country if the bill became law . The association has 4941 specialist members countrywide in private and public practice.

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has approved a 6,5% maximum increase on prices of medicines, announced in a Government Gazette published last week. The earliest that consumers will see price hikes will be at the beginning of May, 16 months after the last round of price increases.