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By Elvis Dumba
CHINHOYI- Mashonaland West Minister for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mary Mliswa-Chikoka has called for an increased support for the HIV treatment as the country moves to eradicate new HIV infections by the the year 2030.
She was speaking during a National Aids Council’s World Aids Day Campaign commemoration theme unveiling breakfast meeting in Chinhoyi on Friday.
“We need to increase efforts on treatment of HIV whilst working towards the elimination of new infections by the year 2030 and at the same time ensure enhanced commitment towards interventions on non communicable diseases and other pandemics such as Covid,” said Mliswa.
Mliswa said that inequalities in accessing health services have been hampering progress and efforts in addressing HIV issues and called upon for a robust integrated response to pandemics such as Covid-19 which had slowed down success which has been recorded in HIV Aids response, our theme for the world aids day campaign and commemoration seeks to ensure no one is left behind in the HIV/AIDS interventions as the theme prioritize the end of all pandemics and address challenges that hamper HIV interventions.”
“Zimbabwe has done tremendously well on HIV interventions with the country decentralizing the treatment of HIV to grassroots levels and I would like to implore various stakeholders to upscale interventions through the availing of resources,” she said.
The theme of World Aids Day Commemorations to be held in Chinhoyi on 1 December 2021 is “End pandemics, End Inequalities,End Aids.”
Mliswa said Mashonaland West HIV prevalence rate dropped from over 30 percent to 11 percent and attributed the decline to various government and private sector interventions.
Mliswa encouraged for early diagnosis of HIV and early treatment and urged communities to deal with issues of stigma and discrimination, she encouraged those who are HIV positive to adhere to treatment prescriptions and to accept the condition.
She gave an example of her father whom she said tested positive in his fifties and lived on treatment up to his eighties.
Mashonaland West Provincial National Aids Council Manager David Nyakurera who stood in for the National Aids Council Chief Executive Officer urged the media to continue highlighting HIV/Aids issues.
Nyakurera said various communities face social ills that are fueling HIV infections, and called upon the media to come up with stories that encourages society to act and help in eradicating these vices.
“Issues such as gender based violence, school drop out of the girl child and child marriages are some social ills that has continued to hamper progress on HIV interventions and communities should join hands and positively respond to hiv interventions,”he said.
Tadiwa Nyatanga National Aids Council Communications Officer urged the media sector to highlight various HIV interventions and its link to other pandemics such as Covid-19 and help expose gaps in the interventions as the country builds up to the world aids day commemoration.