By Staff Reporter
The Zimbabwean Government has been urged to prioritize domestic resource mobilization for HIV/AIDS programs amid shrinking donor support.
Speaking on World AIDS Day, Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) executive director Itai Rusike in a statement warned that reliance on external funding is unsustainable. He cited the abrupt withdrawal of United States Government support under Donald Trump as evidence of the risks.
“Following the abrupt withdrawal of United States Government funding, the awakening call has been presented on getting weaned from major donors to avert consequences in funding the health outcomes within the vertically funded programs of HIV and AIDS.
“Zimbabwe now needs to prioritize domestic resource mobilization for health as it has proven risky and unsustainable for a country to depend substantially on external partners, as donors can withdraw financial support anytime should their interests shift for some reasons or other,” Rusike said.
He noted that the AIDS Levy has become a critical lifeline, generating about US$40 million annually. “The AIDS Levy, in particular, has played a crucial role in securing financing for the country’s HIV response, especially as donor support has declined,” he said.
This year’s commemorations are being held in Umzingwane district, Matebeleland South province. Rusike stressed that stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV remain challenges.
“Commemorative days such as World AIDS offer a useful platform to continue urging the population to know their status, get treated and adhere to medication, and for communities to embrace all health conditions, offer support and not isolation or discrimination,” he said. “Stigma and discrimination continue, albeit at a much-reduced level compared to before ART coverage increased.”
Rusike also called for greater integration of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) into the HIV response. “The health delivery system has suffered from neglect during socio-economic and political crises and the verticalized funding has done little to strengthen it,” he said. “The general poverty, unemployment and depressed living conditions are major determinants of health and affect the quality of life of those living with
AIDS and other chronic conditions.”
He urged swift rollout of Lenacapavir, a newly approved long-acting HIV prevention injectable. “The fast-track approval of the long-acting Lenacapavir injectable PrEP by MCAZ should now move to action and implementation through availability and access of the drug to all those who need it at an affordable price,” he said.
Rusike commended Zimbabwe’s progress in improving the lives of people living with HIV but reflected on the heavy toll of the epidemic. “Zimbabwe has made major achievements in addressing the burden and challenge that HIV brought upon our population, country and resources. We now have higher survival rates and improved quality of life, and a generation of people born with the virus who have passed teenage years and are now adults.
“Therefore, as we commemorate this year’s WAD, we still mourn those who succumbed to AIDS before the advent of ART, and the devastation that the premature deaths of thousands of parents, professionals and other societal members including leaders brought upon families, communities, industry, government and the country at large,” he said. “Their dreams were not fulfilled and their contributions to society had not been realized when they got ill and died, and so the country is poorer without them.”
