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An estimated 7.1 million South Africans are HIV positive with over 4.6 million on treatment stated Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize at the official opening of the Aids Conference in Durban recently.
 
The Minister said these figures call for a comprehensive strategy to ensure that everyone living with HIV is on treatment and that those who are HIV negative remain negative. 
 
 
"This needs innovation and change as the theme of this conference suggests.  And for such a conference to succeed in its objectives we must have communities, especially people living with HIV tell us what is needed, researchers and scientists tell us what works and what does not work and government and its implementing partners who are implement with a great sense of compassion, passion and urgency all working together to defeat this epidemic." stated Minister Mkhize.
 
 
The Minister also called for the complete eradication of stigma and discrimination around HIV and calling out the prejudice that fuels it stating that although South Africa is applauded globally for having progressive legislation and policies that promotes access to health services, evidence has identified stigma and discrimination, including self-stigma, and the negative attitudes of healthcare workers, as key barriers to accessing services.
 
"Let me make this clear, as the newly appointed Minister of Health, stigma and discrimination has no place in the provision of health services. We will take action against any health professional that discriminates against anyone based on their illness, gender orientation, social status or any other characteristic!" warned the Minister.
 
In sustained efforts for strategic intervention, the Minister unveiled a 3-year Human Rights Plan for HIV and TB, which aims to set out a comprehensive response to human rights and gender-related barriers to HIV and TB services in South Africa for people living with HIV, people living with TB, and vulnerable and key populations. This plan will focus on the following:
-          Stigma and Discrimination reduction
-          Train health and other frontline workers to provide care that is non-discriminatory
-          Sensitize and train Law makers and law enforcement agencies
-          Campaigns that focus on legal literacy and rights
-          Strengthening legal support services
-          Monitoring, reviewing laws and policies
-          Reducing gender inequality and gender-based violence
 
The Minister concluded by stating that the response to the HIV and TB epidemics needs resources and applauded the Global Fund for their support which was recently announced ($369 million over the next three years) and the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) which will provide $730 million in funding in the 2019/20 financial year.  He also appealed to those that benefit from the funds to ensure that the they are used as effectively and efficiently as possible. 
 
 
"We have to use these scarce resources to reach the target that President Ramaphosa announced in the 2018 State of the Nation Address of 6.1 million people living with HIV on treatment by December 2020! We dare not fail to achieve this target if we wish to reach epidemic control!" he concluded.
 
Under the theme; "Unprecedented Innovations and Technologies: HIV and Change," an estimated 3 000 delegates from worldwide converged in continued efforts to strengthen the fight against the pandemic at the Durban International Conference Centre.
 
The biannual conference is a platform for scientists, medical practitioners and representatives from the public sector, NGO and faith-based sectors as well as the corporate sector to robustly engage through multiple sessions the scientific, social and digital innovations/technologies which could expand possibilities and opportunities towards controlling the HIV & AIDS epidemic.  
 
The conference aimed to determine how contemporary explosive and disruptive technologies will contribute towards sustained HIV prevention efforts, HIV testing, ART uptake and adherence, trigger the development of new drugs, effectively utilise enormous volumes of data and improve communication and service delivery and eventually end the disease.  The conference also highlighted milestones, initiatives, strategies, models, systems and best practices in accelerating the control of the HIV&AIDS epidemic ahead of the 2020 global targets.