shloboe boe
Chronicle Writers
GOVERNMENT has acknowledged the potential impact of the United States of America’s withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Zimbabwe’s health sector and has assured the nation that domestic resource mobilisation efforts will be intensified to bridge the gap.
The US, a key global funder of health initiatives, has historically supported Zimbabwe through programmes like the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar). However, President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US funding from WHO, citing alleged mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic and failure to implement reforms, has raised concerns about the continuity of critical health services.
The move, which also includes a freeze on new spending for foreign aid projects, threatens to disrupt the supply of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and other essential resources for Zimbabwe’s HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria programmes.
President Trump withdrew his country from the WHO last week, a move that public health experts say will undermine the nation’s standing as a global health leader and make it harder to fight the next pandemic.
This follows his signing of an executive order that banned any new US spending on foreign aid projects, followed by the “stop-work order” issued on January 24, which means that funding to Pepfar, even for existing grants and contracts, is frozen.
The US has long been a driving force in the global fight against HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria through its bilateral programmes and robust support of the Global Fund and other multilateral organisations. The Global Fund worked hand-in-hand with the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, the US President’s Malaria Initiative, and the US Agency for International Development’s TB programme.
By working with several African countries to help prevent, diagnose and treat HIV, TB and malaria, the Global Fund strengthened local health systems. The UNDP-Global Fund partnership has been a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s remarkable progress in the fight against HIV and Aids.
In an interview yesterday, Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Sleiman Timios Kwidini, assured the nation that the Government is exploring alternative funding mechanisms.
“The withdrawal of the United States from the WHO will undoubtedly have an impact on our health programmes, particularly those supported by Pepfar and the Global Fund,” he said.
“Although this was unexpected, we are committed to strengthening domestic resource mobilisation to bridge the funding gap.”
Earlier, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, speaking during the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, proposed earmarking specific taxes, such as a sugar content tax and a proposed levy on fast foods, to bolster health funding.
He emphasised the urgency of preparing for reduced external support, particularly for critical programmes like Pepfar, which has yet to issue an official update on its funding status.
According to UNAIDS, Zimbabwe has made remarkable strides in combating HIV, achieving the UNAIDS “95-95-95” targets alongside Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, and Tanzania. These targets ensure that 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed are on treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment have suppressed viral loads. However, the country remains heavily reliant on donor funding.
There is anxiety that more than one million Zimbabweans who are into antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment for HIV could face a medical dilemma following the US’s decision to stop funding all international aid organisations.
The US is the largest single donor of aid globally with reports that in fiscal year 2023, it disbursed $72 billion in assistance.
National Aids Council (NAC) chief executive officer Dr Bernard Madzima highlighted the critical role of US-supported initiatives.
“We are aware of developments as far as US funding is concerned and the impact that it might have on our health programmes because USAID, PEPFAR and Global Fund are all important partners in funding our health programmes,” he said.
“The support is in the form of ARVs, commodities for laboratories, vehicles, and human resources and if we are to lose this funding the impact will be huge.”
Dr Madzima said there is also the issue of NGOs in the country who are supported by USAID and any withdrawal of that support has an impact on the country’s health programmes.
“Of the 1,3 million people who are HIV positive in Zimbabwe, 1,1 million are on ARVs and a huge chunk of ARVs in the country are supported by partners, including USAID and Global Fund,” he said.
“As it is we have not received any official communication to that effect, only hearing of this news through the media space but there is a need to see how as a country we can respond to it.”
Dr Madzima stressed the need for Zimbabwe to urgently implement a sustainability roadmap to fund its health programmes, saying it is now imperative for African governments to take ownership of their health systems.
“As a country, we really need to come up with ways of mobilising domestic resources to ensure continuity by funding our own health,” he said.
Medical expert and academic Dr Solwayo Ngwenya said as Zimbabwe navigates the potential fallout from reduced US funding, the Government’s commitment to domestic resource mobilisation will be critical.
He urged the Government to act swiftly.
“This is a matter of life and death. Innovative measures are needed to secure funding for HIV, TB, and malaria programmes. Introducing sustainable taxes, such as allocating a percentage of VAT to the health sector, could be a viable solution,” said Dr Ngwenya.
He said strengthening local health systems and reducing dependency on external aid are key to ensuring the sustainability of health programmes and safeguarding the lives of millions of Zimbabweans.
The International Aids Society (IAS) has also raised alarms over the US decision.
In a statement, IAS president Ms Beatriz Grinsztejn said the US decision threatens millions of lives worldwide.
“This is a matter of life or death. PEPFAR provides lifesaving antiretroviral for more than 20 million people and stopping its funding essentially stops their HIV treatment. If that happens, people are going to die and HIV will resurge,” she said.
Since its inception in 2003, PEPFAR has invested over US$110 billion in the global HIV response, saving 26 million lives and preventing millions of infections in over 50 countries.
