 |
|
|
SUBSCRIBE
|
|
Your email address:
|
|
|
SADC AIDS Network of Nurses and Midwives
04 October 2007
Address by Director-General Thami Mseleku on behalf of Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang
I am indeed privileged this evening to be addressing the audience of your calibre. Occasions like these are a delight to be part of, not only because they bring us together but because they create an opportunity for all us to refocus on our common goal - which is the improvement of the health of our people through provision of quality health care services and improvement of the working conditions of care providers so that they may be able to better serve our nations.
The South African Development Community (SADC) AIDS Network of Nurses and Midwives provides a much-needed interaction between health providers on how they could assist their governments to win the fight against HIV and AIDS. Much of what we have achieved as a country in our efforts to prevent, manage and treat HIV and AIDS is because of the sacrifices of thousands of health and care workers who continue to make a difference in their communities, and in our clinics and hospitals. We also depend on them to effectively implement the HIV and AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Strategic Plan for South Africa 2007 to 2011. They form the backbone of our health care service delivery, serving mostly in the frontline.
I understand that the theme of this three-day conference is 'Nursing Leaders for Action: Policy Development, Stewardship, Governance and Partnerships' and I am confident that through the discussions which started on 2 October 2007, you found relevant solutions to the challenges facing our health care systems – which should include recommendations on how we can all improve the delivery of health care services and strengthen our support of the development programmes such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), which seeks to address poverty and under-development on the continent.
I was happy to learn that the network of nurses and midwives of the SADC region, which was formed in 2002, has continued to play a vital role for its 14 member associations. The associations in their own countries had been tirelessly working on improving the working conditions for nurses. The network has made tremendous strides towards strengthening the associations through capacity building, networking and sharing of best practices. It is my hope that the conference has further equipped the associations with information on how they could assist to fight HIV and AIDS, as well as with skills that will enable them to influence health policies in their respective countries.
Given that nurses and midwives form 70% of the global health care workforce, they present an essential force to ensure success of any health care policy. Nurses and midwives should therefore have a big leverage with governments and put forward a nursing perspective to influence policies on health systems. By virtue of their numbers and the uniqueness of their profession, the nurses and midwives have an important role to play and I believe that the potential contribution of this profession is still to be fully realized in our continent and in fact, globally.
Nurses, midwives and supportive health care providers need to keep abreast of the developments in the management of various health and medical conditions. We have to read and understand the policies and management guidelines and protocols to respond appropriately to the health challenges facing us. There is also a need to provide continuous support to each other as African countries towards the improvement of our health care systems.
The challenge of improving health outcomes is felt by developed and developing countries alike. As governments across the globe start to appreciate the role that nurses and midwives play in improving the health of our people, good leadership has been repeatedly identified as a fundamental requirement for addressing the challenges facing nursing and midwifery. It is therefore essential to have capable nurse leaders, who are confident about the value of their contribution in the provision of accessible and equitable care. We need nurse leaders who are proactive and able to manage change as it occurs because of the range of complex factors that influence health and well-being. The combined knowledge and skills of health providers could become a powerful mechanism towards the improvement of care.
It is therefore important that nursing associations be involved in policy formulation and programme planning to ensure equitable and accessible health services. Nurses could define the direction of the health policy, exert positive influence through advocacy and assist to improve the health systems of both public and private sectors.
Southern Africa is one of the regions that are hardest hit by the HIV and AIDS. Programme Director, I am happy to inform you that even though HIV remains an important public health challenge in South Africa, we are currently experiencing pleasing signs of changes. After about three years of stabilisation, the annual survey of prevalence of HIV amongst pregnant women attending public sector antenatal clinic has for the first time indicated that there is decrease in the prevalence of HIV in the country. The 2006 antenatal survey results show a decrease in the prevalence of HIV amongst pregnant women from 30,2% in 2005 to 29,1% in 2006. This was attributed to a number of intervention activities, and in particular good quality of STI management and treatment in public health facilities.
These gains that we are making need to be consolidated by scaling up the implementation of all the components of the National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS and STI for 2007 to 2011. We need the involvement of all stakeholders – including nurses and midwives – to further strengthen HIV and AIDS programmes and to ensure that the prevalence of HIV remains on the downward trend. As a region we need a workforce that could assist us as governments to turn around the tide of HIV. The nursing associations should be able to provide support to the nurses and midwives to maximise their role in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Working as a collective and forming effective partnerships with other sectors, is advisable. I hope you were able identify potential collaborative relationships that could further strengthen your contribution towards the improvement of health care service delivery in the region.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| INFORM US |
| Tell us about events relating to social accountability in the region |
|
|
|
|
Newsfeeds
