HEALTH Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has told parliament that his department aims to reduce the country's maternal mortality ratio from the estimated 400- 625 deaths per100 000 to 100 or less per 100 000 live births over the next four years. This would be achieved through interventions, including increasing access to healthcare facilities, increasing percentages of maternity care facilities and by increasing the number of pregnant women who booked antenatal care early. He also said infant mortality had to decrease from the current 69 deaths a 1 000 live births to not more than 30-40 deaths a 1 000 live births. Motsoaledi said that healthcare sector would continue to ensure that children less than one year of age are fully vaccinated against pneumococcal infection and rotavirus. Other major initiatives that were hoped to reduce child mortality included increasing the number of eligible infants that received HIV/AIDS treatment, increasing nursing institutions that would give rise to integrated management of childhood illnesses and conducting health screening at poor schools. On the HIV/AIDS front, Motsoaledi said the disease remained a major contributor to the country's reduced life expectancy. He said the most important step taken by the government was to integrate the treatment of HIV/AIDS with that of tuberculosis. As part of expanding its antiretroviral (ARV) programme, the government had, since the beginning of April, added 519 public facilities to the existing 496 ARV centres across the country. Motsoaledi said the government had also decided that all of its 4 333 public health facilities should, over time, provide ARVs.

Sipokazi Maposa: The Cape Argus,