THE Global Fund on Health has provided $502 million to the Zimbabwe Healthcare Fund to support HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programmes for the next three years.
BY MUNESU NYAKUDYA
Out of the funding, $426 million will focus on ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care and support services.
This will include a specific focus on eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission and ensuring prevention programmes are serving adolescents and youth and key populations most at risk of HIV.
Speaking at the unveiling of the funding, Health minister David Parirenyatwa said the government’s goal was to sustain the gains made so far through optimisation of the grant and government resources.
“With support from the grant we are signing today and support from other partners, the country’s priority is to be able to sustain the gains made so far through optimisation of grant and government resources,” he said.
“The country remains committed to the 90-90-90 targets for HIV, the malaria pre-elimination agenda and the stop TB targets of ending TB by 2030.”
The grant will be implemented by the Health ministry and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with civil society organisations and the National Aids Council.
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UN resident co-ordinator, Bishow Parajuli said: “Through the strategic partnership, we have brought innovations through new technologies such as solar for health equipment. “We are also supporting capacity strengthening in the public finance management system, supply chain system and internal audit and ensuring value for money and significant savings through procurement and supply chain and low management cost.”
Zimbabwe has made considerable progress in its response against malaria, HIV and TB and in building resilient and sustainable systems for health (RSSH).
HIV prevalence has decreased by 28% over the last decade, TB incidence dropped by nearly 60% over the same period, and investments made in improving quality of care such as integrated electronic patient tracking system.
The country increased the number of districts classified in pre-elimination strata from seven in 2014 to 22 by December 2016, with mortality declining by 57% from 1 069 deaths in 2003 to 462 deaths in 2015.
