INTERNATIONAL health financier, Global Fund, has pledged additional funding to boost Zimbabwe’s fight against HIV and Aids under its new $1,9 billion funding cycle expected to run until 2016.
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In a statement, Global Fund Zimbabwe CCM secretariat co-ordinator Rangarirai Chiteure said Zimbabwe has received a total of $600 million from the Global Fund since 2002 with the last disbursement of $496 million released in 2010 still running until end of this year.
Chiteure said the country will apply for a grant to apply for anti-retroviral (ARVs) drugs.
“We are still to decide on the actual amount that the country requires. The country co-ordinating mechanism for Global Fund will meet next week, but we will be prioritising ARVs,” Chiteure said.
“This is a good opportunity for the country to benefit as Global Fund is our largest donour supporting 52% of the people on ARVs and if the funding was to ending what would become of the 52% which are supported by the global fund? Currently we are on round 8 which will end in 2014.”
The Global Fund offers support to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to various countries worldwide.
“The countries — Zimbabwe, El Salvador, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kazakhstan and the Philippines — will be able to access a total of $364 million in new funding, and can also apply for additional funds that incentivise ambitious and high impact investments and co-financing,” Global Fund said.
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Global Fund executive director Mark Dybul said: “Our new funding model means more effective investments, with greater impact.
It will definitely help us leverage investment in a way that allows our partners to reach more people facing these diseases.”
The new funding model is aligned with the Global Fund’s existing practice of encouraging each recipient country to engage a diversity of partners,including civil society, to use the best epidemiology and scientific data possible to achieve maximum impact.
