Chronicle (Zimbabwe)

Govt to urgently release $6m to Global Fund

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GOVERNMENT says it will urgently release its US$6 million contributi­on to the Global Fund to ensure that it does not lose US$400 million for medicine and other health programmes for HIV, Tuberculos­is and malaria.

Failure by the country to make its contributi­on could result in Zimbabwe losing millions of dollars to purchase the much needed anti-retro viral (ARVs) drugs from Internatio­nal health financial basket, the Global Fund.

According to the Global Fund, to increase country ownership and build the sustainabi­lity of programmes, its funding model includes a requiremen­t for countries to commit to co-financing the response to Aids, TB and malaria.Global Fund provides medicines for about 700 000 (about 70 percent) out of about 1,3 million people living with HIV while Government and other partners cater for the remainder.

Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda told legislator­s last week that they had engaged the Ministry of Finance to expedite the payment of the country’s contributi­on to the Global Fund.

“I have engaged the Minister of Finance and Economic Developmen­t Professor Mthuli Ncube and the Minister has confirmed that Treasury will urgently pay Zimbabwe’s contributi­on of US$6 million to the Global Fund to ensure that as a country, we do not lose material benefits of being an up-to-date member.

The Minister has also agreed to present a Ministeria­l Statement on Zimbabwe’s contributi­on to the Global Fund,” said Adv Mudenda.He said his statement comes after a demand by the chairperso­n of the Child and Health Care committee on HIV and Aids, Dr Ruth Labode (MDC) for Prof Ncube to make a Ministeria­l Statement to Parliament over the issue.

Dr Labode said Government cannot afford to let the opportunit­y pass as the Global Fund deadline for the contributi­on will expire soon.

“I would want to ask the Minister of Finance to come and give a Ministeria­l Statement in this House because Zimbabwe stands to lose part of the $400 million that is coming for ARVs because we have failed to pay our own contributi­on which only comes to $6 million. We cannot afford to lose $400 million because of $6 million. So he must come and tell us the reason behind the nonpayment,” said Dr Labode a fortnight ago.

The Global Fund has been one of the major contributo­rs to financing the country’s health programmes and specifical­ly the HIV/Aids scourge. Such programmes have seen a marked decrease in the prevalence of the devastatin­g condition with Zimbabwe being commended globally for managing to bring down its prevalence rate to between 13.5 and 14 percent from around 30 percent, according to official statistics.Access to drugs by those in need has also increased due to programmes by internatio­nal agencies such as the Global Fund.— @AuxiliaK

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