STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER

DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI

AT OFFICIAL OPENING OF NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON HEALTH

AT ESIBAYENI LODGE, MATSAPHA

MONDAY 24 AUGUST 2015

Honourable Deputy Prime Minister

Honourable Ministers

Manzini Region Administrator

Hon Members of both Houses of Parliament

Representative of the World Health Organisation

Representatives from development partners

Executive Director of NERCHA

SafAIDS Executive Director and the other facilitators

Senior government officials

Distinguished guests

Representatives of the Media

Ladies and gentlemen

 

I am very pleased to join you all this morning for these important two days of the National Health Dialogue with Sectors.

Noone will deny the supreme importance of having a healthy nation. As a way of putting everything in perspective, let us reflect first on those two words – healthy and nation.

Every person has a right to be kept as healthy as possible. In one respect it has a huge humanitarian implication. If we care about our fellow human beings, we must also care for them. In practical terms that, of course, means common and pan-territorial access to health services of a good quality. Mother Nature and other factors, such as life style and personal misfortune, will give rise to a varying impact of such health services, but it is essential that the services are available to all.

Furthermore, a healthy person is a productive unit. The more productive our people, the more prosperous our country and we, as individual citizens, will be.

Then we have the word “nation”. That, of course, in its simplest form, relates to the aggregate of the people in our country. But if we extend the word to “national” and apply it to any social service, it should remind us that we, the people of the Nation, are not only the beneficiaries, but also have to take responsibility for what we provide for the Nation.

And if we are to take responsibility, then we have the right to make an input, individually and collectively, into the provision of the best health services that our resources will allow. In the first instance there has to be the opportunity for dialogue, and to subsequently have continuing access to dialogue on the subject of health.

That is why this gathering, being a “National Dialogue,” is of immense significance to improving the standard of our health services. It is not possible to get everybody in the Nation into the same room. But it is possible, and the reason we are here today, to bring leaders and other representatives of the key sectors into the room, to not only hear the views and concerns of the people across the country but also hear the experts, synthesise the views and agree on the way forward in a manner that benefits the people across the country.

The cross sectional representation is crucial to moving forward productively. A successful national health programme demands an effective team effort. Not everybody is on the same page. That may be through lack of knowledge, in which case the information and advice from the Dialogue provides a valuable solution. But frequently it is more complex than that. We get opposing views, concepts and methods – moral, spiritual and technical - for dealing with health issues. The Dialogue then has to discuss and resolve. It is a forum in which we can dispel the myths and achieve a common understanding, find harmony and agree a workable strategy. It is to prevent a continuation of what sometimes happens, and what is known as - the irresistible force and immoveable object – in other words, deep-seated and mutually-exclusive views.

The second generation Health Sector Strategic Plan, covering the period 2014-18, does, inter alia, address health-seeking behaviours and health actions in other sectors and, when highlighting the strengthening and regulation of health service provision, does recognise that the traditional sector plays an important role in promoting good health. “Influencing health action in key sectors” is an explicit thematic area in that Strategic Plan.

There are beliefs which have to be harmonised. It is officially and, I should add, absolutely authoritatively accepted, that there is currently no cure for HIV. And making sure that HIV in a person is not allowed to proceed into AIDS is entirely dependent on consistent and regular application of antiretroviral treatment (ART). Our success in the fight against HIV and AIDS has been so dependent on us all working together through Government, NERCHA, development partners and communities. We have all been on the same page. We have talked, we have implemented, there has been active collaboration and productive cooperation.

However, one still hears talk, or reads boasts, about there being a cure for HIV. There is none! One sometimes hears negative comments about ARVs. We must remind all concerned that ARVs are essential to effective containment of the HIV virus and allowing a normal and productive life! One hears utterly fallacious stories about the transmission of the HIV virus. It needs to be said clearly that you cannot catch it from sharing a cup or washing in the same bath or river! And you cannot – I repeat, cannot - remove it by having sexual intercourse with a virgin! One hears of continuing stigma against people with HIV. Who says how a person contracted it? And even then, who has the right to judge? As guided by the Bible, “let him (or her) who has never sinned cast the first stone.”

Nevertheless, achievements have been made in health through the collaboration of the sectors represented here today. We have seen the enthusiasm that the sectors have shown in the fight against HIV and AIDS and this has exhibited itself in the figures – a massive drop in AIDS-related deaths, a substantial roll-out of ARV treatment and a remarkable reduction in mother-to- child transmission of HIV.

In primary health care, we have seen an increased use of oral rehydration solution for children, improved sanitation and hygiene, the encouraging of early access to health facilities for pregnant women, and the promotion of immunisation for children with vaccine against preventable diseases.

There are, of course, challenges. These include refusing, or ceasing to take medication, or other accepted treatment methods, because of religious reasons. We still see delays among traditional health practitioners in the referral to a health facility of patients showing conspicuous signs, such as a persistent cough, of treatable diseases such as TB. That not only has a negative effect on the patient but also extends the exposure to the disease that others nearby will face.

This is not the first Dialogue of its kind. Much will have been learned from previous discussions of this nature. Participants will be bringing to the table the achievements and challenges experienced. Any emerging health sector barriers should be raised. Perhaps, above all, it is essential that dialogue is concluded with consensus, as far as is humanly possible, and identification and agreement on the way forward. And even more important, that you all go away and set, or re-set your performance targets, monitor what you achieve against those targets and then return to the Dialogue room with the results, conclusions and suggested improvements for the next phase. In other words, Dialogue is about talking, but do not leave matters as just talk. Let us see the outputs, outcomes and impact that follow the Dialogue.

When you can tick all those boxes, then it becomes a truly productive National Dialogue.

It remains for me to thank the World Health Organisation for the technical and financial support for the Dialogue. We also express our gratitude to the Southern Africa AIDS Dissemination Services (SafAIDS) for the expertise in conducting the dialogues through the guest facilitators. We also thank the sector representatives for the commitment to revitalise their health actions toward Vision 2022 and its national development targets. We must remember that a high standard of national health care is not just a measure of development. It is also a determinant.

It is now my honour, on behalf of His Majesty’s Government to declare this National Dialogue on Health with Key Sectors, officially open.

Thank you.