Chair, South Africa's skills crisis is arguably at its most serious in the public healthcare sector, where skilled personnel literally could mean the difference between life and death. Expanding the training of nurses, increasing the number of training institutions, improving the quality of training and introducing a bursary system are critical but shockingly delayed interventions. Extensive budgets need to be set aside to attract and retain skilled healthcare personnel. Other obstacles to entry into the profession for those within the country and outside must also be addressed.

While the reasons for not poaching health professionals from Sadec countries and the expected consequences are understood, it seems a great shame that we refuse to comply these healthcare professionals who then take up posts outside the Sadec region altogether. Surely, limited contracts or other reasonable solutions can be found instead of a blanket ban on them.

Our public healthcare system is burdened with innumerable problems, ranging from aF deteriorating infrastructure to the HIV/Aids pandemic and the increasing dilemma of XDR-TB, and we cannot hope to recover without adequate numbers of dedicated healthcare professionals. At the same time the urgent prioritisation of funds for hospital revitalisation is necessary to accelerate progress.

It is estimated that for every person receiving ARV treatment, five more are infected with HIV/Aids. Government's stubborn refusal to consider the ACDP's calls for mandatory or routine testing has undermined prevention strategies, which have been weak and plagued with inconsistencies.

Specialists say that HIV/Aids is now the number one cause of child mortality in South Africa and only 30% of pregnant women have access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This is tragic.

South Africa has one of the highest TB infection rates in the world, with almost 250 000 new TB cases being diagnosed every year and, of course, only 53% of these being cured, and almost as many being reinfected.

One of the greatest tragedies and inconsistencies is the health budget's role in legal abortion under the guise of eliminating backstreet abortions. [Time expired.]