Central SA
Health department intensify fight against leading illnesses in Northern Cape─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 07:03 Thu, 16 Jun 2022
The Northern Cape Department of Health has taken major strides in combating deadly illnesses in the province.
MEC Maruping Lekwene said that a 2018 report by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases revealed that Tuberculosis (TB) was the leading underlying cause of death, followed by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the province.
He said that the department has allocated a grant that will ensure that those illnesses are adequately dealt with.
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While delivering his budget vote yesterday, Lekwene said that a number of TB and HIV patients' treatment and care were interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in patients not taking their medication. He said by the end of December last year, the number of patients who were on HIV/AIDS treatment had decreased from 66 439 to 61 713.
Lekwene said that the department has budgeted more than R779 million for the 2022/2023 financial year in an attempt to fight against HIV/AIDS.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker of the North West Provincial Legislature (NWPL) had also raised concerns about challenges faced by people living with HIV/AIDS and TB in the province.
