Maputo, 3 May – Non-compliance with Mozambican legislation on combating HIV/AIDS allows the occurrence of new infections, according to Fernando Lavieque, the head of the Office for Preventing and Combatting HIV/AIDS in the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.
“We must increasingly improve and deepen the mechanisms for overseeing the processes of preventing and combating HIV/AIDS at all levels”, he declared on Thursday.
Lavieque was speaking minutes before the Assembly approved unanimously the latest report from the Office.
The Office recommends that the national, provincial and district AIDS councils, including partners and implementers of the HIV /AIDS response, scrupulously observe the legislation to ensure the equitable intervention of response efforts.
It also recommends the reactivation of funding for Community Based Organizations, through the National AIDS Council, using funds from the State Budget, as well as from partners.
“In addition to strengthening interaction with the various players involved in implementing the response to HIV/AIDS at all levels, the Office must continue to participate in the exchange of experiences with other parliamentary institutions and international bodies”, the report added.
Reacting to the information presented by the Office, Jacinto Capito, a deputy from the ruling Frelimo Party, said that, over the last year, the country recorded around 42,000 deaths from HIV/AIDS, compared to 60,000 in 2010.
“With regard to new infections, in 2023, there were 87,000, while in 2010 the country recorded close to 160,000 infections. However, the results of the multi-sector response in the fight against HIV/AIDS are encouraging”, he said.
For her part, Renamo deputy Lúcia Afate, said that “Human rights violations, discrimination and stigma place many legal and political barriers in the way of reducing new infections”.
(AIM)
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