THE government has reassured the nation that antiretroviral (ARV) drugs will remain available and accessible to patients who need them throughout 2025, despite concerns over funding cuts.
With a sufficient stockpile in place, people living with HIV can continue to access the life-saving treatment without interruption.
In an interview with NewsDay, Health and Child Care minister Douglas Mombeshora confirmed that Zimbabwe anticipated potential disruptions and took proactive measures to ensure a sufficient stockpile of ARVs, adding that the swift action guaranteed continued access to life-saving treatment for those in need.
“We began the year with sufficient ARV stocks to last until the end of June. Following the announcement of the executive order by the United States, the government acted swiftly by placing new orders through two suppliers to close the anticipated gap,” he said.
“The stocks are now in place to cover us up to the end of the year, although not yet completely delivered. We started receiving the medicines about three or four weeks ago and we are hoping that by the end of the first or second week of July, all deliveries will have been completed.
“We can assure the nation that we have enough stocks for ARVs up to the end of the year. We are now working on a plan because we start procuring before they run out so that we also cover the next six months from January to June 2026.”
Government’s reassurance on the availability of ARVs is a welcome relief for those living with HIV amid growing global concerns sparked by a January executive order signed by United States President Donald Trump.
This order halted US foreign aid funding, including support for HIV and Aids programmes, threatening to disrupt international supply chains for essential medicines.
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The order, which prioritises domestic production of medicines within the US, threatened to impact the global distribution of several life-saving drugs, including ARVs that are central to HIV treatment in many developing countries.
