Latest news with #MPAC
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Mpumalanga silent on 21 000 missing HIV patients
About 21 000 HIV patients have disappeared from Mpumalanga's treatment system, yet officials remain unclear or deny the extent of the crisis. The Mpumalanga department of health seems uninterested in addressing the problem of about 21 000 HIV/Aids patients who were on treatment disappearing without a trace. During a recent interview with SABC News, health MEC Sasekani Manzini conceded that some patients were missing and said she was optimistic the newly launched HIV campaign 'will help trace people who defaulted on their HIV treatment. 'In this number of 21 000 are those people who have taken treatment before and defaulted and those who have never taken treatment.' About 21 000 HIV patients disappeared from treatment system Surprisingly, yesterday, Mpumalanga department of health spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said: 'The department is not aware of any 21 000 HIV/Aids patients that have disappeared from our database. 'The MEC launched a campaign on 16 May, 2025, in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Provincial Aids Council (MPAC) and other stakeholders in the health sector as part of the province`s ongoing interventions to enhance uptake of life-saving HIV treatment to ensure 95% of people diagnosed with HIV receive and adhere to antiretroviral therapy (ART) to achieve viral suppression.' ALSO READ: South Africa's health advocacy groups: 'Health failing to shield kids from HIV' 'The HIV treatment campaign objective is to close the gap by putting an additional 1.1 million people nationally, while Mpumalanga's target is 134 000, who are living with HIV but are not on treatment by the end of December. All our quality HIV/ Aids treatment care services are continuing very well,' said Malamule. Last year, MPAC chair Sonto Nkosi conceded that the province was facing a problem of patients disappearing. She called on government to locate them and offer the necessary support. DA spokesperson on health in Mpumalanga Bosman Grobler said the party welcomed the fact that the department launched a provincial campaign to get an extra 150 000 people on ARV treatment, but expressed concern about the 21 000 people who are missing. Concern over missing patients He said they would be encouraging people to be on treatment and those who had stopped must also be located. 'We are concerned about the 21 000 Mpumalanga ARV patients that have vanished from the system. This is troubling because the viral load of these patients will increase and it will be easy for them to infect their partners with the virus.' ALSO READ: Over 8 000 SA healthcare jobs lost – and more could follow – after US Pepfar aid cuts 'The DA believes that if these patients are not found as soon as possible, it might reflect negatively on the province's viral load and derail the action of getting more people on ARV treatment. At present, Mpumalanga has the second-highest HIV viral load in South Africa.' Grobler urged the department to conduct door-to-door and radio campaigns to teach about adhering to ARV treatment. He said the department must try by all means necessary to get the 21 000 missing patients to come back to their facilities so that they can get their treatment. Mpumalanga has highest HIV prevalence of all provinces According to the South African HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey released in 2024, Mpumalanga has the highest HIV prevalence of all provinces (17.4%), meaning that the province has 890 000 people living with HIV. The Mpumalanga department of health has reported that of the 890 000 HIV-positive people in the province, 630 000 are currently on ARV treatment. ALSO READ: Inside SA government's confused response to the USAid funding crisis Statistics show that South Africa has 7.8 million people living with HIV/Aids and at least 5.9 million are on ARV treatment.
Hamilton Spectator
13-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
North Perth council joins push for reinstatement of MPAC assessment cycle
LISTOWEL - After receiving a letter from the Municipality of West Perth, North Perth Council decided during its May 26 meeting to join its neighbour in lobbying the province to reinstate the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation's (MPAC) property assessment cycle. MPAC administers property assessments to determine assessment values which are used for municipal taxation rates across the province of Ontario. Property assessments have remained based on 2016 valuations since the provincial government postponed the 2020 MPAC reassessment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter from West Perth requests that the province restore the integrity of Ontario's property assessment system. 'This continued delay has resulted in significant inequities across the property tax base, undermining the fairness, accuracy, and transparency of the municipal property tax system,' West Perth Director of Legislative Services/Clerk James Hutson wrote in the letter, which was shared with North Perth. Coun. Allan Rothwell echoed this sentiment at the North Perth meeting. 'I believe that we've had conversations at this council table regarding concerns about the fact that our assessment cycle has not kept pace with the normal schedule, and as a result of that, there are issues in our taxation standpoint, where assessed properties are not up to our current standard, therefore the amount of tax dollars that would be coming into the municipality to operate our works for the municipality, and they are not up to where they possibly should be in terms of the assessed values,' he said. 'I believe that this council should lend our support to the Municipality West Perth in the resolution and put that request through to Municipal Property Assessment Corporation to confirm that they will be proceeding soon regarding the newest assessment cycle.' North Perth Mayor Todd Kasenberg said the province gave an explanation for the delay in the fall 2024 economic update, which stated the province was continuing its review of the property assessment and taxation systems, and identified three areas of priority: affordable rental housing, student housing and information sharing, and province-wide property tax assessments will continue to be deferred until this work is complete. 'So other words … the province told us 'not yet, we have some things to get done first,'' he said. 'I just want to make sure that council is aware that that was the most recent provincial statement that I understand anyway.' Despite the reasoning provided by the province, Kasenberg said there is no technical reason why the assessment cycle hasn't been reinstated. 'It's really just a push of a button for them to generate the new property values for every residence, every business, every farm property in Ontario. There's no technical delay or lag. That's what I've been told by their officials. So it can be done.' Coun. Sarah Blazek said, 'The province may not be in a hurry to get us up to date with our assessments and make sure that municipalities are receiving the tax base that they should be, but they continue to download a lot of financial responsibilities to municipalities, and so I think that we should absolutely do our due diligence and at least have our voice be heard.' Rothwell offered context by explaining that municipalities across Ontario own MPAC. 'The M in MPAC is for municipal,' he began. 'Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. It used to be called the Ontario Property Assessment Corporation when it was run by the province of Ontario. There was a change wherein all the municipalities in the province own the MPAC. 'So therefore, with respect to the Province of Ontario having various other issues that they want to focus on. Nevertheless, the prime focus of MPAC should be assessment. And all of the people, the assessors that are part of MPAC, their role and responsibility is to assess property. 'So therefore, I would underline again the importance that we need to get back on track as soon as possible, and if not for these three priorities that you've listed here and so on, it should be a number one priority in terms of what the municipal assessment corporation does.' North Perth Council passed a resolution urging the province to immediately resume the property assessment cycle and direct MPAC to undertake a province-wide reassessment reflecting current market conditions. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
The Citizen
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
New Tzaneen healthcare centre approved by council
TZANEEN – A new healthcare centre is set to be established in Tzaneen, as announced during the seventh Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) Council sitting held on Thursday, May 29. Cllr Collen Mathebula revealed that the upcoming medical facility will include specialists such as oncologists and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists. According to Mathebula, the new centre will not only benefit residents of Tzaneen but also serve surrounding Mopani areas, including Giyani, Phalaborwa, Hoedspruit, and others. He added that the project is expected to create much-needed job opportunities for locals. However, the announcement sparked debate. Ward 15 Democratic Alliance (DA) Cllr Chrizelle Dreyer objected to the proposal, arguing that Tzaneen already has sufficient medical infrastructure. 'We have Mediclinic and the newly opened Tzaneen Health Care Hub. I understand we may lack oncologists, but another centre is unnecessary,' she said. Despite her objections, no further opposition was raised, and the proposal for the new healthcare centre was adopted by the council. In other council matters, chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), Ngaoko Maunatlala, provided updates on ongoing municipal projects across all 35 GTM wards. He highlighted serious delays with the Petanenge pedestrian crossing bridge, reporting that the project was only 11% complete as of MPAC's latest site visit. The bridge construction began on November 17, 2024, and was scheduled for completion in April 2025. With significant delays already evident, Maunatlala questioned why the contractor was allowed to continue working despite the poor progress. He called on the mayor, the speaker, the chief whip, and the head of infrastructure to visit the site themselves, and recommended that the current contractor be removed from the project. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) echoed their disappointment over the bridge delays and urged the council to take swift action. Meanwhile, Thabo Maunatlala, speaking on behalf of Mayor Gerson Molapisane, announced that the municipality currently has R145 million in self-generated funds, which are being used to finance various development projects. He also reported that electricity tariffs are expected to increase by 12.7% over the next three years, while sewerage charges will rise by 4.4%. Although Molapisane was scheduled to deliver his budget speech during the council sitting, he announced that it would instead be presented on June 12. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Scoop
27-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Samoan Villagers Still Fearful Of Contaminated Fish Near Manawanui Wreck
Article – RNZ The New Zealand Navy vessel ran aground on the reef off the south coast of Upolu in early October 2024 before catching fire and sinking. Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific Journalist People living close to where the Manawanui sank in Samoa are still concerned about fish being poisoned from pollutants, despite the country's Marine Pollution Advisory Committee deeming it safe to collect seafood. Fagailesau Afaaso Junior Saleupu, who lives in Tafitoala village which right next to where the Manawanui sank, said people are still scared to eat fish collected close to the wreck. 'In my village where the Manawanui is grounding, people hardly go for fishing at the moment, the reason why, because they are really suspicious of getting any fish poison,' he said. The Manawanui ran aground on the reef off the south coast of Upolu in early October 2024 before catching fire and sinking. The New Zealand Navy has removed diesel, oil and other pollutants from the ship. Samoa's government has also removed a 20-kilometre squared precautionary zone on 12 February which advised against fishing in the area. Samoa's Marine Pollution Advisory Committee (MPAC) chairman Fui Tupai Mau Simanu said that it was removed following tests by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa, which confirmed it was fine to fish in the area. Fui said an impact assessment had also been carried out by MPAC, while another ongoing independent assessment is happening now which is expected to be completed at the end of June. 'The two reports will be the foundation of the decision making moving forward.' He also said MPAC runs routine monthly tests as part of the monitoring programme. However, Fagailesau said people are still worried and there's not the same number of fish as there was before. 'There are some other sea animals that we always use to make food and sell, until now we never see that again.' Fagailesau said the community is still waiting to hear from the Samoan government on financial compensation. 'From the time that the Manawanui grounding, for our village there's beach fales, all the guests cancel.' Fui said that people who lost income due to the Manawanui sinking would have an opportunity to apply for financial compensation. 'Discussions of compensation are going on at the moment. A separate committee has been appointed by Government to handle this,' he said. There's still a 2km prohibitive area around the Manawanui. Fui said the government is having a community engagement on 10 June.
Scoop
27-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Samoan Villagers Still Fearful Of Contaminated Fish Near Manawanui Wreck
The New Zealand Navy vessel ran aground on the reef off the south coast of Upolu in early October 2024 before catching fire and sinking. Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific Journalist People living close to where the Manawanui sank in Samoa are still concerned about fish being poisoned from pollutants, despite the country's Marine Pollution Advisory Committee deeming it safe to collect seafood. Fagailesau Afaaso Junior Saleupu, who lives in Tafitoala village which right next to where the Manawanui sank, said people are still scared to eat fish collected close to the wreck. 'In my village where the Manawanui is grounding, people hardly go for fishing at the moment, the reason why, because they are really suspicious of getting any fish poison,' he said. The Manawanui ran aground on the reef off the south coast of Upolu in early October 2024 before catching fire and sinking. The New Zealand Navy has removed diesel, oil and other pollutants from the ship. Samoa's government has also removed a 20-kilometre squared precautionary zone on 12 February which advised against fishing in the area. Samoa's Marine Pollution Advisory Committee (MPAC) chairman Fui Tupai Mau Simanu said that it was removed following tests by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa, which confirmed it was fine to fish in the area. Fui said an impact assessment had also been carried out by MPAC, while another ongoing independent assessment is happening now which is expected to be completed at the end of June. 'The two reports will be the foundation of the decision making moving forward.' He also said MPAC runs routine monthly tests as part of the monitoring programme. However, Fagailesau said people are still worried and there's not the same number of fish as there was before. 'There are some other sea animals that we always use to make food and sell, until now we never see that again.' Fagailesau said the community is still waiting to hear from the Samoan government on financial compensation. 'From the time that the Manawanui grounding, for our village there's beach fales, all the guests cancel.' Fui said that people who lost income due to the Manawanui sinking would have an opportunity to apply for financial compensation. 'Discussions of compensation are going on at the moment. A separate committee has been appointed by Government to handle this,' he said. There's still a 2km prohibitive area around the Manawanui. Fui said the government is having a community engagement on 10 June.
