MW
Govt Eager to End HIV/AIDS by 2030… Ready to implement Fast
Track Report targets
Malawi
Government is optimistic to end AIDS pandemic by 2030 as targeted by the recent
UNAIDS report ‘Fast Track Strategy to end AIDS by 2030’.
Secretary
for Nutrition and HIV/AIDS in the Office of President and Cabinet Edith Mkawa in
an interview said the government is ready to ensure that it is more aggressive
on HIV and AIDS issues through intensifying awareness campaigns and implementation of the UNAIDS Fast
Track strategy.
She
said starting this month of December where the world commemorate HIV and AIDS effects,
Malawi will intensify its activism beginning Monday 1st December
with World AIDS day event in Karonga, by focusing on spreading information on
benefits of male circumcision.
“This
year’s World AIDS day we are focusing on three zeros. Zero discrimination, zero
new infections and zero deaths due to HIV. Along with that we are also going to
be talking a lot on male circumcision because we have found that with Medical
Male Circumcision there is a lot of progress.” Said Mkawa
She
said from these messages men will also be warned that medical male circumcision
does not protect them fully from HIV but it is just one way of helping to
protect them from HIV and they need to maintain following other protection
methods like having one sex partner, condom use.
On
Fast Track report she said “We will be implementing what they are recommending
so that we give more information out there to the communities. We will be more
aggressive in the way we approach HIV so that at least there are more people
that go for testing, put on treatment, and that some of the issues like stigma
and discrimination that affect people and prevent them from going for testing
and receiving treatment we deal with them by 2030.”
“So
we are hoping that by 2030 we should make progress”
However,
Mkawa urged every Malawian and every institution to take part in supporting
government in the fight of HIV pandemic saying government alone cannot make a
great impact.
But
Malawi must to do a lot in achieving this dream considering that Malawi still
rely on donor support on HIV response where 90% of funding comes from Global
Fund.
As
UNAIDS Fast Track to end AIDS by 2030 urges all low-
and middle-income countries to bring domestic funding into line with their
national wealth and HIV burden, there is fear that Global Fund might
delay funding to Malawi following alleged misuse of HIV and AIDS response funds
at National Aids Commission (NAC).
Recent
media reports reveals sum of K57. 4 Million for HIV response at NAC was donated
to institutions not involved in HIV response where, the Malawi First Lady’s
initiative ‘Beautify Malawi Trust (BEAM)’ received up to K5 Million, National
Intelligence Bureau (NIB) got K43 Million and Mulhako Wa Lomwe received K9.4
Million when the said institutions requested NAC to fund their activities.
Five
CSOs CHRR, Cedep, Mehen, Manet+ and Manelela are demanding Country Coordinating
Mechanism Committee of the Global Fund (CCM) to swiftly investigate and bring
those responsible to book and immediate dissolution of NAC Board and be
replaced by one with sober minded individuals.
As the
world is embarking on a Fast-Track strategy to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, Malawi is among Low-and Middle-Income countries
that account for 89% of all new HIV infections.
“To reach this visionary goal after three decades of the most
serious epidemic in living memory, countries will need to use the powerful
tools available, hold one another accountable for results and make sure that no
one is left behind.” Reads the UNAIDS report
The report indicates that without
scale-up, the AIDS epidemic will continue
to outrun the response, increasing the long-term need for HIV treatment and
increasing future costs.
“There is a strong
global consensus that the tools now exist to end the AIDS epidemic. This
confidence is based on a combination of major scientific breakthroughs and
accumulated lessons learned over more than a decade of scaling up the AIDS
response worldwide. The achievement of targets built on these tools now needs
to be fast-tracked.” Says the report
The report further
indicates that HIV treatment can dramatically extend the lifespan of people
living with HIV and effectively prevent HIV transmission. And condom
programming, behaviour change, voluntary medical male circumcision and
programmes with key populations are opportunities that have capacity “to
sharply lower” rates of new HIV infections.
“HIV infections may not
disappear in the foreseeable future, but the AIDS epidemic can be ended as a
global health threat. To achieve this by 2030, the number of new HIV infections
and AIDS-related deaths will need to decline by 90% compared to 2010.” Adds the
UNAIDS report
