EDITORIAL COMMENT: Private sector must contribute to national Aids fund President Mnangagwa

Zimbabwe continues to make progress in the fight against HIV/Aids pandemic which is claiming millions of lives globally every year. The country is among the few that have established an Aids fund.

This fund has enabled Zimbabwe to run a number of intervention programmes to fight the spread of HIV/Aids as well as treatment of those already infected. At least 90 percent of those infected are on antiretroviral treatment. Government which is committed to achieving the global target to end Aids by 2030, has pledged US$1 million to the Global Fund.

The Global Fund was established in 2002 to accelerate the fight against Aids, tuberculosis and malaria in low and middle income countries. Every year, the fund spends more than $4 billion to fund programmes to fight Aids, TB and malaria in more than 100 countries.

Speaking during the 6th Replenishment Conference organised by the Global Fund Forum in Lyon, France, President Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe fully supported the fund.

The fund is seeking to raise US$14 billion to fight Aids, TB and malaria. President Mnangagwa said the Global Fund had approved close to US$2 billion for Zimbabwe. “Let me express my profound gratitude for this invaluable support. As we build strong institutions, infrastructure and integrated services, we appeal for support and seek partnerships to strengthen primary health care, build and retain competent health workforce to achieve Universal Health Coverage,” said President Mnangagwa.

He said early detection and surveillance systems of the three diseases remained paramount. President Mnangagwa said Government was developing a robust National Health Insurance Scheme.

The Global Fund is supporting more than 710 000 out of the 1,2 million on Anti-Retroviral Therapy.
We want at this juncture to appeal to the private sector to contribute a percentage of their annual profits to the national Aids fund to enable more people to be put on ART.

Aids-related deaths have been on the decrease since 2005 and this is as a result of antiretroviral treatment. What is encouraging is that about 90 percent of Zimbabweans now know their status and the target is to ensure all those infected are put on treatment hence the need for companies to boost the fund.
It is the companies that benefit from reduced Aids-related deaths of their employees.

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