The Department of Health has published its Annual Performance Plan which spells out the key interventions it will undertake to address the pressing concerns with the health of children and women and with the health system more generally. Interventions include the following: 

• External reviews of the implementation of health sector policies and plans by partners with expertise in research and programme evaluation to aid in deciding which programmes are effective and enhance those; and to decide which programmes are unlikely to succeed and need redesigning.
• New policies and interventions to strengthen efforts to combat HIV and AIDS.

The latter is to be accomplished by way of several measures, including:

• Provision of ART to all pregnant women with a CD4 count lower than 350; ART to TB-HIV co-infected patients with a CD4 count below 350; all children younger than 1 year on treatment, regardless of their CD4 count; pregnant women who do not qualify for HAART will receive dual therapy from 14 weeks gestation until post-delivery to prevent transmission from mother to child.
• The HIV counselling and testing campaign which was launched in 2010 aims to reach 15 million South Africans through adopting a community-based approach to ensure access to services in communities.
• Widespread female and male condom distribution and early treatment of STIs linked to referral for HIV counselling and testing to ensure consistency of messaging.
• The provision of PEP for survivors of sexual assault and health care workers injured at work.
• Preparing provinces for male medical circumcision.
• Increased access to ART through innovations like nurse-initiated treatment and increasing the number of service points from 490 to 1500.

The Annual Performance Plan outlines further measures:

• The fight against TB will be intensified by increasing diagnostic capability at district and facility level.
• The health of women, mothers and children will be improved through: immunizations; conducting perinatal reviews to monitor and evaluate causes of perinatal deaths on 92% of maternity facilities with a view to improving the 6-day post-birth follow-up procedure; mortality committees have been established to monitor maternal morbidity and mortality and develop early-warning signs for areas needing interventions.
• There is a strong emphasis on community-based screening programmes.
• An audit of how facilities are responding to sexual assault survivors and the management of violence and injury.
• In 2011 the primary health care approach will be reinvigorated and will place greater emphasis on the family rather than the individual and puts health promotion and disease prevention at the centre;
• Expansion of the health work force by encouraging increased numbers of medical students at tertiary institutions;
• In 2011, Primary Health Care outreach teams made up of nurses and community health care workers will be deployed. They will be supported by technical teams of medical specialists with expertise in maternal and child health.