UNAIDS and Chapo discuss impact of us financial cuts in health sector

Maputo, 17 Feb (AIM) – The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has continued to express its concerns at the cuts in financial assistance after US President Donald Trump threatened to shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The concern was expressed by the Executive Director of UNAIDS and deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Winnie Byanyima, during an audience granted on Sunday by the Mozambican President, Daniel Chapo, in order to discuss the challenges in the fight against HIV in the country.

According to the Executive Director, there is a common feeling that one of the most pressing challenges is the reduction in US support, which could compromise treatment and prevention programmes in Mozambique, as well as around the world.

“We talked about how to manage the current situation, due to the changes in US policy, the fact that support will be reduced. We discussed how Mozambique will recover and be able to maintain progress, we discussed various ways of doing this and I believe there is commitment and determination”, Byanyima said,

Byanyima explained there should be a collective approach to discuss with the American government how to make an organized transition, not to stop immediately, but to give Mozambique time to mobilize other resources.

The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, also emphasized the need to strengthen efforts in the face of changes in international funding.

“Mozambique has made a lot of progress, reducing new infections and deaths. However, Mozambique still faces a major challenge, since the country has two million people who are on anti-retroviral treatment, 400,000 still to be taken to treatment, 80,000 new infections every year, so it’s still growing”, she said.

Official figures indicate that 2.4 million people are living with HIV in the country, reinforcing the importance of continued access to treatment.

“Progress in the fight against the disease is the result of joint efforts between the Mozambican government and international organizations, but there is still a long way to go. Other solutions include encouraging local production of medicines, reducing dependence on imports and helping to create jobs for young Mozambicans”, she said.

The creation of a solid infrastructure to support treatment and prevention appears to be an essential step to ensure that the country continues to make progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
(AIM)
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