The KZN Department of Health and building materials supplier Built It have formed a partnership that will bolster efforts to fight the spread of diseases, particularly TB, HIV and Cancer.

This partnership will take the form of a joint awareness campaign containing messages about health awareness and behavioural change, and will reach a potential 10 million people.

This is thanks to the fact that the majority of the 85 Built It stores in KZN are located in peri-urban and rural areas, which is the target population of the Department.

The official launch of the partnership was attended by officials of the Department – including TB Ambassador Prince Nhlanganiso Zulu – and representatives of Build It.

Delivering a speech on behalf of Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, the Head of Health in KZN Dr Sifiso Mtshali said the main objective of the partnership is to drive a vigorous awareness campaign about Tuberculosis, HIV and Cancer.

He said the aim of this awareness campaign is to empower the people of KwaZulu-Natal with information and knowledge that will help them make informed choices. This will help them avoid new infections; prevent infecting others (in the case of communicable diseases) and, crucially, ensure successful treatment of those who are already affected by such diseases.

The purpose of the joint campaign is premised on the following aspects:

· Create awareness of health issues, in particular TB, HIV and Cancer

· Intensify case finding for TB, HIV and Diabetes

· Promote Healthy Lifestyle that prevent disease, support health calendar awareness days

· Explore possibilities for Build It stores to become depots for the collection of Chronic Medication as part of our Central Chronic Medication Dispensation and Distribution (CCMDD) programme.

Through this partnership, the Department will leverage from the following actions:

· Printing of health messages on 4000 000 leaflets

· Printing of leaflets and advertising communication

· Door to Door delivery of leaflets using local distributors

· Instore communication

· Branding opportunities during local Under 13 Soccer Tournaments

· In turn the Department will:

· Provide Primary Health Care (PHC) screening and testing at specific promotional and marketing campaigns like Soccer festivals.

These services include TB screening, HIV counselling and testing blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, family planning, registration for MMC, eye testing, minor ailments and referrals. Furthermore, the Department will also provide speakers on health issues at Build It events to engage spectators on health concepts.

The partnership will be in place for a period of two years with an option to review and renew.

Dr Mtshali said: “Despite being a curable disease, TB is the number one cause of mortality in KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa at large. We have thus come to a realisation that the mammoth task of curbing the spread and perhaps even completely eradicate this virus, cannot be undertaken by the Department of Health alone.

“It will be recalled that no so long ago, when our Premier, Honourable Willies Mchunu delivered his State of the Province Address, he made a clarion call for active stakeholder participation on healthcare management in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. He said:

“As government we believe that healthcare for all cannot be achieved without local leadership and citizen engagement. We, therefore, undertake to continue to put the health of each citizen of this province at the centre of our agenda. And we invite leaders of society to work together to turn around the situation”.

We are elated that Build It has heeded this call and specifically partnered with us in our quest to eradicate Tuberculosis in our Province.”

Dr Mtshali said TB places its heaviest burden on the world’s most poor and vulnerable citizens. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report 2016, TB remains one of the world’s biggest threats. Six countries accounted for 60% of the new cases: India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa.

KwaZulu Natal remains the epicentre for TB and HIV in South Africa. TB notification (the number of new and relapse TB cases notified in a given year, per 100 000 population) in KZN is 678 per 100 000, which is three fold more than what WHO declares as a crisis (200 per 100 000). In 2015, 73 000 people in KZN were diagnosed with TB, of these 4151 people died in the same year.

Issues that exacerbate the spread of TB here in KZN include:

· Late presentation

· Stigma

· Adherence to treatment

“The Department has measures to prevent the spread of TB through the advocacy, communication and social mobilisation programme. Our collaboration with Build It will be a major boost to this programme, as it will bolster our communication efforts which will now also be channelled through the Build It stakeholder and community networks.

“Build It, a division of the Spar Group, has 340 stores in the country and over 85 in KwaZulu Natal. The majority of Build It stores are well placed within our target population settlements, in peri-urban and rural areas. This then makes it easier to spread messages to the audiences that the Department is targeting.”

“I have no doubt that together we will make good and deliver on the aspirations of this partnership, for we share a common ambition for the people of KwaZulu-Natal: “A long a healthy Life for all our citizens.”