HIV-testing targets not being reached

With only seven weeks to go until the end of the government's campaign to give 15million people HIV counselling and testing, most provinces are behind schedule and only North West is on target.

On April 25 last year, President Jacob Zuma and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi launched the HIV counselling and testing campaign at Natalspruit Hospital, on the East Rand, and urged people to "know your status".

North West is the only province on target - 89% tested.

Except for Western Cape, which provided figures to the end of March, the provincial backlogs are as of the end of April:

• KwaZulu-Natal has tested about 2.3million of the targeted 3million;
• Eastern Cape has tested just over 1million of a targeted 2million;
• Western Cape has tested 770 000 of the targeted 1.6million;
• Free State has tested 702 630 of the targeted 963 087;
• Mpumalanga has tested 735 750 of the just over 1million;
• Northern Cape has tested 196870 of 337 941;
• North West has tested 892497 of the targeted 998859 in only 12 months.

Two provincial health departments - those of Gauteng and Limpopo - were unable to provide up-to-date data.

Gauteng health spokesman Simon Zwane said: "Up to the end of December, we had a million people tested in Gauteng since the launch of the campaign."

He said the province "lost time" because of the World Cup when "the rate of testing went down".

It is not known if Gauteng will meet its testing target of more than 3.3million.

According to last year's World Bank report, an estimated 5.7million South Africans were living with HIV - more than in any other country.

With only 0.7% of the world's population, South Africa has 17% of the world's HIV cases.

North West director of HIV and Aids management Cornelius Lebeloe said his province "over-performed" in April, testing more people than set by its monthly target.

Lebeloe attributed the success to the province's vigorous awareness campaigns. It has eight "Get tested for HIV" billboards in the province.

Provincial politicians spoke on local radio stations to help the campaign, Lebeloe said.

Nongovernment organisations had also helped the campaign.

Provinces that supplied up-to-date statistics revealed that over 1.12million people have tested positive for HIV since the campaign was launched last year.

Though KwaZulu-Natal must still test 759234 people, its HIV counselling and testing manager, Themba Ndabandaba, said the province had doubled its previous annual HIV record by testing 2.3million people.

Ndabandaba said HIV testing was normally below 1million people a year.

Free State spokesman for health Jabu Mbalula said that, in the past, "people came [to be tested] when they felt like it" but the drive to encourage people to be tested involved sending mobile clinics to "any event where there are going to be large numbers of people" to offer HIV-testing services.

Sporting events, community gatherings on public holidays and political rallies were targeted for mass HIV testing.

"We also visited taxi ranks and churches," he said.

"It's encouraging to see people who have come to the mall to shop taking time out to be tested because a facility is placed there.

"I can't say for sure that we will make [the cut-off date]," Mbalula said, "but we're trying our best."

Though the campaign ends officially at the end of next month, Lebeloe said: "It's not as if, come the end of June, we will down all tools.

"We have to continue testing. We are not chasing statistics, we are looking at providing services to the people."