A new era of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological and breakthrough innovations will help the country fight HIV, TB and cervical cancer, said Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi at the recent SA Medical Association (SAMA) Health Summit in Durban.
He said the 5 June rollout of Lenacapavir, the twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, was one of the most important developments in the 44-year-fight against HIV, reports The Mercury.
Motsoaledi also revealed that South Africa would intensify its war against TB using portable AI-powered digital X-ray machines capable of operating in deep rural communities. Unlike conventional systems, these can analyse lung scans without requiring specialist radiologists.
The devices would allow healthcare workers to screen millions of people in remote communities where access to diagnostic services remains limited: the programme would be launched from July.
On the cervical cancer elimination campaign using the WHO’s “90-70-90” strategy, he said the government aimed to vaccinate 90% of girls under 15 against HPV, screen 70% of women using new DNA-based technology, and ensure 90% of those diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer receive treatment.
A record 6m South African schoolgirls in public schools had already received HPV vaccines since the programme began in 2014, and the government would now extend vaccinations to private schools after the WHO approved a single-dose HPV vaccine schedule.
Beyond disease prevention, South Africa is piloting a locally developed digital healthcare information system through the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). This will allow patient records to move seamlessly between hospitals, clinics, GPs, and specialists across both public and private healthcare sectors, the Minister added.
However, he warned that fragmented healthcare systems continued to undermine patient care and efficiency countrywide, and that healthcare systems around the world were under pressure from climate change, new disease outbreaks, and shortages of healthcare workers.
Before the summit, Motsoaledi attended the World Health Assembly in Geneva, where Ministers discussed future global healthcare threats and the growing strain on international health systems. While celebrating technological advances, Motsoaledi cautioned that healthcare reform would also require political courage and stronger public systems.
“The question is not whether healthcare systems will innovate,” he said. “The question is whether innovation will strengthen equity and ensure access for all.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Pilot study looks at feasibility of SA using mobile X-rays to test for TB