Zimbabwe says to increase health funding as external support declines

Harare [Zimbabwe], March 15: The Zimbabwean government said Friday that it will boost health funding to cover a gap left by the reduction of U.S. support.
Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora said Zimbabwe has incurred a huge health funding gap after the U.S. government recently canceled the funding for some health programs in the country.
"The funding gap that has been created is huge. We are talking of between 300 and 400 million U.S. dollars and we are working toward covering that gap gradually," he told a press conference.
The affected areas include HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. However, services such as medical drug transportation and clinical staff contracts have been reinstated, he said.
Mombeshora said that current supplies of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV treatment will last until June and that the government has started procurement to sustain supplies up to the end of September.
"We can assure everyone in Zimbabwe who is on ART that they will not miss their medication. There will be no shortages," Mombeshora said.
He added that the Zimbabwean government had also started the process of taking over the responsibility for its health employees who were previously paid through U.S.-supported programs, including village health workers.
Source: Xinhua News Agency