Despite U.S benefactor, funds dwindling for HIV/AI...

Despite U.S benefactor, funds dwindling for HIV/AIDS fight in Zimbabwe

VOA- The U.S. has provided over $1 billion in the past 5 years to Zimbabwe’s fight against HIV/AIDS, but experts say reduced funding may hamper the African country’s target of ending the epidemic by 2030.

Pamela Tremont, the U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, was among the delegates to this year’s World AIDS Day in Rusape, about 200 kilometers east of Harare. She said the U.S. would continue supporting HIV/AIDS programs in the southern African nation.

Pamela Tremont, the U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, who was one of the delegates to this year’s World AIDS Day, speaks in Rusape district on Dec. 1, 2024.

“Zimbabweans are living longer, healthier lives. We have been combating HIV in Zimbabwe through our PEPFAR [the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief] program for over 21 years,” she said.

“In the past five years, the United States government has invested over $1 billion to fight HIV and AIDS, and $200 million in the last year alone.”

Zimbabwe is one of the countries hit hardest by HIV/AIDS. In 1999, Zimbabwe introduced an AIDS levy, a 3% tax on income and business profits which is managed by the National AIDS Council. That money, combined with international funds, has been used to run programs aimed at ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030 in Zimbabwe.

But at this year’s World Aids Day commemorations, Dr. Bernard Madzima, the executive officer of the Zimbabwe National AIDS Council, painted a grim picture of dwindling funds. He spoke of the U.N.’s target to identify, treat and suppress the virus in 95% of patients.

“For us not to go backwards in terms of the 95-95-95 targets and epidemic control, we have to have discussion(s) around the issue of sustainability to ensure that we don’t reduce the gains which we have recorded and slide backwards,” he said. “The AIDS levy is there, but it’s just a small piece in terms of providing funding, which is domestic. If we are going to respond to health issues, we have to guard against donor fatigue.”

Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, Zimbabwe’s health minister, said the country continues to see lower rates of new infections.

“These are pleasing results, but we are not yet on an irreversible path towards ending AIDS by 2030,” he said.

“These results have indicated that the pace of reversing HIV infections is slower, and we may miss the target of ending AIDS if we continue doing the same things, the same way we have [been] doing them. While our HIV prevention interventions have been robust and led to identification of 95% of HIV positive people, we have to be more strategic in identifying the remaining 5% to ensure optimal use of resources.”

While officials are worried about funding for HIV programs, some people are happy with the way Zimbabwe is fighting the epidemic. Among them is schoolteacher Simon Chere, who is living with HIV.

When the infection started, Chere visited traditional healers and prophets, fearing he had been bewitched. He later visited a hospital and tested HIV positive. He said he thought his world had collapsed, but then got counseling and met other men who were HIV positive. Chere said is much improved after starting medication, together with his wife.

Chere expressed hope that other people living with HIV will learn to live positively and take medication.