DEPUTY President David Mabuza has officially launched a national wellness campaign which will focus on testing and treating people who have HIV, TB, sexually transmitted infections and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
The campaign will be known as ‘Cheka Impilo’ and is a call for South Africans ‘to move from a curative response to health to preventative approaches and the adoption of healthy lifestyles’.
It will focus on the provision of comprehensive health and wellness services targeted at men, adolescent girls and young women as well as key and vulnerable population groups.
‘The campaign reinforces the implementation of prevention strategies, linkages to care, management, treatment and support.
‘The success of such a massive campaign largely depends on coordinated collaboration among all social partners in respect to planning, implementation and monitoring.
‘We call upon all our social partners to join us in implementing this programme,’ Deputy President Mabuza said.
Mabuza was speaking at the two-day Presidential Health Summit which commenced in Johannesburg on Friday.
‘As various stakeholders, we are committing that we will be taking the services to the people.
‘As part of the package of services for the ‘Cheka Impilo’ campaign, we will focus on increased information, education and communication activities, promotion of HIV testing, widespread distribution of condoms, and provision of pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis against HIV.’
He urged South Africans to go out in great numbers to test for HIV and screen for STIs, TB and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
‘Within 24 months of this campaign, we must have found and put two million more people on ARVs.
‘We must also have found and put at least 80 000 more people with TB on anti-TB treatment. We must also have identified thousands more with Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Cancer, and put them on treatment,’ Mabuza said.
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