Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - February 21, 2008
Zweli Mokgata
Health was one of the essential services that was bolstered by increased government funding - with R2.1-billion dedicated to increasing the number of people on anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs). The increase would double the people on ARVs - to 900000.
The Treasury also put up an additional R2-billion to upgrade existing hospitals and build new ones over the next three years.
In the section, Better Health for All, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said that improved remuneration and training contributed to an increase of 39600 personnel in public health.
"A further 25000 posts will be filled by 2010. The hospital revitalisation programme is targeted for additional allocations, conditional grants for HIV-Aids will increase - and tertiary health services are prioritised."
Manuel added that he was considering "a tip" he received from a traditional healer - to allocate funds to traditional healers.
"I promise I will pass this on to my colleagues," he said adding spending on health services would grow by over 10percent a year over the next three years.
Rejane Woodroffe, a chief economist at Metropolitan, said: "The R9-billion grant for the building of schools, HIV-Aids, hospital revitalisation and school nutrition was encouraging.
"My only concern is that a lot of these ... grants have gone unspent in the past because of weaknesses at provincial and local government level."
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