Reply:

Honourable Member, the same question was asked by Honourable LV James of the DA (see Annexure A - Question 2059 asked on 29 May 2015).

END.

ANNEXURE A

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO. 2059

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 29 MAY 2015

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 17)

Ms L V James (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

Whether his department has any programmes to improve education about multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, specifically about the importance of testing; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2322E

REPLY:

The National Department of Health has several programmes and platforms that are being used to inform, educate and raise awareness about TB, including MDR-TB at community level.

(a) The national and provincial TB programmes have Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilisation units with focal persons whose role is to, on a regular basis, disseminate information to members of the community on the importance of being screened, tested and treated for TB, including MDR-TB. Each of these units have focal persons who, sometimes with support from partner organisations, use various platforms including the media (radio, television, and print) to educate communities about TB. The units also disseminate information through posters, fliers and billboards and sometimes conduct door-to-door campaigns to engage household members on TB.

(b) In 2010, during the advert of the FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa, the Department and Stellenbosch University conceptualised and implemented a communications platform called “Kick TB and HIV”, which uses community activations (campaign style) to educate members of the community on TB. Over the past year, 266 activations were conducted, and 467 817 people were reached.

(c)  The Deputy President launched, on 24 March 2015, a massive TB campaign that aims to mobilise millions of South Africans to be screened, tested and treated for TB, including MDR-TB.

(d) An integrated mass media communication and education campaign that will focus on HIV/AIDS, TB (including MRD-TB), maternal and child health, non-communicable diseases, violence and injuries, has been developed and a tender is currently being evaluated to appoint a service provider to manage the campaign over the next 3 years.

END.