Vice President Tsogwane Calls For Concerted Efforts Against NCDs
His Honour the Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane says Botswana continues to be recognised internationally for her effective fight against HIV/AIDS. Vice President Tsogwane said the country is one of the few in the world that have achieved the UNAIDS target for HIV testing, treatment and viral suppression.
He said this when officially opening the National AIDS and Health Promotion Council (NAHPC) meeting this morning. UNAIDS has set a 95% viral suppression target and Botswana has already achieved 98% viral suppression among people who are enrolled on HIV treatment.
The Vice President who is also the Chairperson of NAHPC said this means Botswana is on course to achieve epidemic control and ending AIDS as a public health threat.
While Botswana continues to make strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Vice President Tsogwane is worried of the disturbing trend of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) in the country. He therefore called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to address the situation.
Vice president Tsogwane however commended the National AIDS and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA), Ministry of Health and other stakeholders for their efforts to create necessary awareness among Batswana on the dangers of NCDs. He further called on everybody to eat healthy and engage in physical activities saying they are a cornerstone for delaying the onset of NCDs.
The highlight of today’s meeting was a presentation on The History of the HIV and AIDS Response in Botswana. The report will help the council to appreciate the background, context and the successes that have been achieved to date. It will also guide the council to plan on how to address issues going forward.
