World Aids Day

Observed on the 1st of December each year, World AIDS Day provides an opportunity for every community to show their commitment to the fight against HIV. It allows us to give support to those living with HIV and remember those who have died from it.

HIV and AIDS in South Africa

World AIDS Day is important as it reminds the public that HIV has not gone away and that collectively, there is the need to increase awareness, fight prejudice, and improve education to maintain and achieve the aims and objectives of the country as set out in the National Strategic Plan on HIV, STIs and TB 2012-2016.

Why stigma and discrimination matter

Stigma and discrimination can be as devastating as the illness itself and may mean abandonment by a partner or family, social exclusion, job and property loss, school expulsion, denial of medical services, lack of care and support, and violence for those affected by them. These consequences, or fear of them, mean that people are less likely to come in for HIV testing, disclose their HIV status to others, adopt HIV preventive behaviour or access treatment, care, and support.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a PMB condition under the Medical Schemes Act.

All medical schemes are required by law to pay for the diagnosis, treatment and care costs of the condition in full.

This includes HIV voluntary counselling and testing, Co-trimoxazole as preventative therapy, screening and preventative therapy for TB, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, pain management in palliative care, treatment of opportunistic infections, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV*, post-exposure prophylaxis following occupational exposure or sexual assault, medical management and medication, including the provision of anti-retroviral therapy, and ongoing monitoring for medicine effectiveness and safety, to the extent provided for in the national guidelines applicable in the public sector.

The CMS published a CMScript on HIV, download below.