NATIONAL Aids Council (Nac) chief executive Bernard Madzima has praised government for establishing the National Aids Trust Fund, saying it proved crucial after sudden aid cuts earlier this year that threatened support for about 1,3 million Zimbabweans living with HIV.
Speaking yesterday during World Aids Day commemorations at Mzingwane High School in Umzingwane district, Madzima said the rapid withdrawal of external support forced Nac to urgently seek alternative financing, with the Aids Levy stepping in to fill a critical gap.
"As mentioned earlier, we are under cuts, under severe funding cuts. Some of them, we had anticipated as we were looking towards 2030 and we were looking at having sustainable plans for combating not only HIV but also health programmes, some of them happened fast, especially at the beginning of this year," he said.
"It happened faster than we thought, and we had to deal with the situation by reprioritising and looking elsewhere. This has called for us to look at domestic resources and improve our resource mobilisation. As Zimbabwe, we want to congratulate ourselves."
Madzima said the Aids Levy Trust Fund came in handy and covered a huge gap, emphasising the power of domestic resource mobilisation.
"This time, it has really come in a big way to make sure that we don't run out of ARVs, we do not run out of laboratory diagnostics and any other HIV-related activity. We are confident that our programme will not be derailed," he said.
Health and Child Care minister Douglas Mombeshora used the event to launch the single-dose Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine initiative aimed at reducing cervical cancer among young girls. He said government partnerships with Gavi, Unicef, WHO and others had strengthened the country's cervical cancer elimination strategy.
"Through these collaborations, the HPV vaccine at age 10 is now more accessible, integrated into routine immunisation and supported with community mobilisation," he said.
Mombeshora said this year's World Aids Day theme reflected Zimbabweans' resilience and innovation, noting that the country had built "one of the most resilient HIV programmes in the region," and achieved the 95-95-95 targets.
"This means it is only through unity that we defeat our greatest challenges. This has been true of our HIV response. Over the years, Zimbabwe has built one of the most resilient HIV programmes in the region," he said.
Mombeshora applauded the milestones achieved this year, which include Zimbabwe's selection as part of 10 countries to access Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable taken only twice a year as a preventative measure.
"Our new advanced HIV disease policy and the rollout of a simplified child-friendly antiretroviral tablet, which ensures early treatment and easier administration for caregivers," he said.
"The introduction of triple HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B services for HIV-exposed newborns is an important step in ensuring every child gets a healthy start within the first 24 hours of life."
World Aids Day is commemorated annually on December 1 in remembrance of those who died from the disease and also to reflect on the successes and gaps in fighting the disease.
This year's event, which was held in Matabeleland South, attracted scores of people who are directly and indirectly affected by the pandemic.