Pretoria - More than 20 000 inmates in prisons across KwaZulu-Natal will receive HIV counselling and testing.
A joint initiative between the Departments of Health and Correctional Services in the province will see half of correctional services staff also given access to testing and counselling.
The HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) Campaign at KZN's prisons was launched on Wednesday with representatives from Correctional Services and the KZN Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo in attendance.
Correctional Services has high hopes for the campaign.
"Our target is to counsel and test at least 50 percent of our staff compliment and also counsel and test at least 21 000 of the offenders in our care," Correctional Services Regional Commissioner Mnikelwa Nxele said.
The HCT programme will include access to wellness centres for both staff and prisoners.
The centres will provide support only a daily basis, through the services of psychologists, nurses and chaplains, Mnikelwa said.
The MEC congratulated KZN on the step it had taken in fighting HIV, AIDS adding that no other province had initiated such a campaign.
"The vast majority of people committed to prison eventually return to the wider society. Therefore any diseases contracted in prison, or any medical conditions made worse by conditions of confinement, become issues of public health for the wider community when people are released," Dhlomo said.
He said reducing the transmission of HIV in prisons was an important step in reducing the spread of infection in broader society.
The MEC also called on Correctional Services to broaden the scope of its campaign.
"I want to challenge you on your targets and say you can still double these figures if you encourage your 8 000 staff members to take their partners along when they go to test," Dhlomo said.
Correctional Services also has six accredited anti-retroviral sites in the province. These are at Qalakabusha, Westville, Ngcome, Pietermaritzburg and two at Kokstad Correctional Centres.
