Key Points
- U.S. withdrawal may threaten HIV/AIDS funding in Zimbabwe.
- PEPFAR provides vital health support, including worker salaries and testing.
- Zimbabwe explores new taxes to fill gaps in health funding.
Zimbabwe’s finance minister voiced concern Wednesday that a U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization could lead to cuts in aid to countries heavily affected by HIV/AIDS, including his own.
U.S. withdrawal from WHO could disrupt global health aid
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday for the U.S. to withdraw from the organization after being inaugurated for a second term.
“Any country with an HIV/AIDS challenge will be impacted,” Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said during an online briefing from Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum. “This is a concern, a fear we are expressing.”
Zimbabwe’s reliance on PEPFAR funding to tackle HIV/AIDS
Zimbabwe receives more than $200 million annually from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. Since 2006, the U.S. has provided Zimbabwe with more than $1.7 billion to strengthen its health systems and support people living with HIV, according to the U.S. Embassy in Harare.
PEPFAR also contributes nearly $90 million annually to fund salaries and incentives for healthcare workers in Zimbabwe, along with supporting HIV and viral load testing, prevention programs, cervical cancer screenings, and tuberculosis treatment.
As stated by New Zimbabawe, Zimbabwe has struggled to fund its public health system. The government introduced a sugar tax on beverages last year to help raise funds for cancer treatment, and another tax on fast food was implemented this year.
“We need to scale up our funding for health,” Ncube said. “The earmarked taxes should be directed towards health as we build our capacity to fill the gap should any funding recede.”
