Chinhoyi, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe is crafting a new HIV sustainability strategy to counteract the impacts of the withdrawal of support by development partners following a United States policy shift.
Health and Child Care permanent secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze confirmed the move during a National AIDS Council (NAC) workshop for editors in Chinhoyi, Mashonaland West province on Tuesday.
He said the country is proactively working to mitigate the impact of lost funding, triggered by an Executive Order from U S President Donald Trump restricting foreign aid.
“Our health delivery system has been affected by the abrupt cessation of funding from some of our foreign partners,” he said.
“I am glad that the move by the United States Government came when we were already engaged in processes to develop an HIV sustainability plan, which will be ready for implementation soon,” he added.
Dr Maunganidze said his Ministry has already taken steps to ensure that people are not severely affected, especially those taking antiretroviral therapy. He added that part of the steps include increasing the budgetary allocation, budget reprioritization, introducing the National Health Insurance Scheme, and other measures to ensure that health programs continue to function and serve people as before.
“Your role as the media in this regard will be very crucial as the nation grapples with the mentioned funding gaps, the discussions and decisions we need to take to ensure that our response is sustainable and meets the expectations of our people without leaving anyone behind. ”
“Your power is not just in informing and educating but in setting the national policy agenda, reframing narratives, and advocating for the health and social transformation envisioned by the Second Republic,” he said.
Director of the AIDS and TB Unit in the same Ministry, Dr Owen Mgurungi weighed in, saying Zimbabwe’s aim to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2025 means the country should not rely much on aid.
“We were already on the right path because upper-middle-income economies do not rely much on external funding,” he said. “We need to mobilize more resources so that we do not reverse the gains we have made,” he added.
Zimbabwe’s efforts to develop a more self-sustaining HIV response are in line with the broader global shift toward country ownership in health programming.
The country has made significant progress in its HIV response over the past two decades, reducing prevalence rates from over 30 percent in the late 1990s to around 11 percent today.
The US President ‘s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund have been key contributors, supporting antiretroviral therapy for over 1.3 million HIV positive Zimbabweans.
New Ziana
