The fight against lifestyle diseases is key in reducing the burden on the public health care system, the Executive Mayor of Mopani District Municipality, Pule Shayi has told government officials at the Cheka Impilo Campaign in Giyani on Friday.
The Executive Mayor led his mayoral committee team in participating in the campaign which aims to accelerate screening and testing for HIV, TB, STIs and noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
He said that the biggest problem facing South Africa today may not be HIV and TB, but lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cholesterol.
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“And all of these lifestyle diseases can be prevented if we lead a healthy active lifestyle. Many of us including our children are obese, and it is obesity and lack of physical activity that contribute to the rise of diabetes and hypertension.
“The National Health Insurance will not fail, despite resistance. Our little contribution towards the success of the National Health Insurance will be leading a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity reduces the risks of high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes, some cancers, and even mental illness. Our reluctance to participate in physical activity may ultimately contribute to the overloading of the public health care system,” said Shayi.
The Executive Mayor said that the massive rollout of the Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) programme has contributed in the increase of the life expectancy of South Africans.
“Our province has an estimated four hundred forty-one thousand six hundred seventy-seven (441 677) people who know their HIV status and at least 372 886 on ART. We also know that the expansion of our health programme have helped in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
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“The infant mortality rate has declined from an estimated 56,5 infant deaths per 1000 live births in 2002 to 22, 1 infant deaths per 1000 live births in 2019. Our target as per the NDP is to reduce it to less than 20 deaths by 2030,” he said.
He said he was worried with the new infections on young women.
“Recent statistics paints a picture that says that almost four out of every ten new HIV infections in South Africa occur among females between the ages of 15 and 24. And indeed if we dig deeper we would find
that these infections are caused by older men. Older men who call themselves blessers targeting young girls at high schools and sleep with them without protection. These satanic acts expose our children, our sisters to HIV and STIs.”
