Health minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, this week revealed that millions of Rands will be channeled into training thousands of nurses, doctors, laboratory technicians, counselors and other health workers.

Over half of the total budget will be spent over the next five years in implementing the programme and will go towards upgrading health infrastructure, emphasizing prevention and promoting health lifestyles ‘€“ all interventions that could result in major spin offs for the more than 40-million South Africans who are not infected.

‘€œAs such, the implementation of this plan will benefit the health system as a whole,’€ Tshabalala-Msimang announced after the Cabinet meeting, held in the absence of President Thabo Mbeki, who was returning from a state visit to France.

Flanked by head of Government’€™s HIV/AIDS Director, Dr Nono Simelela, head of the Government Communication Information System head, Joel Netshitenze, chairperson of Government’€™s task Team, Dr Tony Mbewu, and deputy health minister, Renier Schoeman, the minister commented that President Mbeki had seen the plan and had ‘€œcontributed to improving it’€ at last week’€™s Cabinet Committee meeting.

Dr Tshabalala-Msimang said it was difficult to predict how many people would use the services but rough estimates are that about 50 000 people will be treated within the first year.

‘€œWe have very soft borders and we cannot say whether people from Lesotho, Swaziland and other neighbouring countries will try to access the drugs. We cannot say no, but we will be in constant dialogue with treasury as the numbers become clearer,’€ she said.

It is envisaged in the plan that, within a year, there will be at least one service point in all 56 health districts across the country and, within five years, one service point in every local municipality.

There is agreement that some areas, specifically in provinces such as Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal will be able to start sooner than others.

Patients who are symptomatic (who have AIDS defining illnesses) and/or have a CD4 count less than 200 will be counseled and offered the option of anti-retroviral therapy.

The task team and the health department are scheduled to hold an in-depth briefing in Pretoria today

E-mail Anso Thom