Pretoria - A total of 365 117 people in the North West province have been tested for HIV since the launch of HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign in April.
The province has set a target of testing one million people by the end of the campaign in June 2011.
Health MEC Rebecca Kasienyane appealed to people of the North West to come in numbers to be tested and help in identifying people who are in need of anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment.
The province has increased the number of people on ARVs by from 83 770 to 95080. Sites offering ARV treatment have also increased from 31 to 63 with 50 currently being assessed to offer the service.
The department has 28 community based organisations and 90 clinics accredited as part of down referral programme. These sites refer stable patients to community based organisations and public facilities where quality Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care, Management and Treatment (CCMT) can be continued thereby ensuring monitoring of drug adherence and tracing of patients who default treatment.
All HIV positive pregnant women and patients on tuberculosis (TB) treatment including MDR and XDR with a CD4 count of 350 or less as well as HIV positive infants now receive ARVs at health facilities that offer the service.
This is part of up-scaled HIV policy pronounced by President Jacob Zuma during World AIDS Day last year.
