Yvonne Mutambwa
President Mnangagwa has pledged that his Government will direct resources towards the country`s fight against HIV and AIDS.
In an address on Wednesday commemorating World Aids Day, President Mnangagwa said there is need to double efforts towards the cause.
“Our great country Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in commemorating World AIDS day. The HIV and AIDS pandemic remains one of the major developmental challenges facing Zimbabwe,” said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa said the Covid-19 pandemic obstructed services needed by those fighting HIV and AIDS.
“It is disheartening that the emergence of the Covid 19 pandemic has curtailed access to the treatment and other essential services for people living with HIV and AIDS. In response Government introduced various innovative service delivery models to ameliorate the situation,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said there is need to come up with creative funding mechanisms to aid the existing AIDS levy and also the fund HIV related programmes.
“I am fully aware that our ambitions in pursuit to end this pandemic and other pandemics will require more resources. Efforts to widen the scope of local resource mobilization are also being pursued,” he said.
Towards efforts of fighting HIV and AIDS, Zimbabwe has managed to reduce the rate of HIV from 0.48% in 2016 to 0.27% in 2020.
Prevalence rate has dropped from 13,9 % to 11,8% during the same time.
The World AIDS day was commemorated under the theme End Inequlities; End AIDS; End Pandemics.
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