SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, says Zimbabwe’s HIV/Aids fight is being hampered by funding challenges, adding that the country needed at least US$500 million annually to respond positively to the pandemic.
“It is indisputable that financing remains the cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s HIV response as anchored by the national budget and the National Aids Trust Fund,” Mudenda said while addressing a Capacity-Building and Sensitisation Workshop for lawmakers on HIV/Aids.
“According to the Zimbabwe National Aids Spending Assessment, total HIV programme spending increased from US$278 million in 2019 to US$387 million in 2024, supported largely by donations from development partners.”
“However, this current funding level still falls short of the estimated US$500 million needed annually to achieve the ambitious goal of the Zimbabwe National Aids Strategic Plan IV, especially with over one million people living with HIV now on antiretroviral therapy (ART).”
Figures from the Health and Child Care ministry show that of the 1,3 million people living with HIV in Zimbabwe, 1,2 million are on HIV treatment and 97% of those have achieved viral suppression.
Last year, Zimbabwe reached the United Nations 95-95-95 target, becoming one of the first few countries to achieve it in Africa, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids.
The target calls for 95% of people who are living with HIV in a selected country to know their HIV status while 95% of people living with HIV are on ART and 95% of those achieve viral load suppression.
Mudenda said the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria had provided the bulk of the resources needed to scale up testing, treatment and prevention programmes.
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“The fight against HIV/Aids is far from over. While we have made tremendous strides, challenges remain and your leadership as parliamentarians is critical in addressing them,” he said.
“As parliamentarians, you add a critical layer to the HIV response governance matrix by ensuring that the necessary legal frameworks are in place to support the national response and executing the prudential management of the funds disbursed to the health sector.”
