Malawi has been urged to strengthen HIV prevention and treatment services for children as declining international funding threatens the sustainability of programmes supporting people living with the virus.
Speaking in Lilongwe at a symposium on science, policy and communities in the HIV response, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health Bestone Chisamile said the government was exploring domestic funding options to support vulnerable groups.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure that the limited resources available are put to proper use,” Chisamile said.
International AIDS Society President Professor Kennedy Ngure said the symposium should produce an action plan to advance HIV prevention, treatment and care. He also called on African countries to develop innovative ways of financing their HIV responses.
“We want the country to have an action plan on how to advance prevention, treatment and care of HIV,” Professor Ngure said.
In her remarks, National AIDS Commission Acting Chief Executive Officer Tione Chilambe said that Malawi had made significant progress in the fight against HIV but warned against complacency.
She said many people now believe HIV is no longer a serious problem because fewer people are experiencing the severe symptoms that were common in the past.
“A lot of people think HIV is over, but that’s not really the case,” she said.
“We know that things have changed, and through holding hands and sharing the best practices, we want to contribute to building sustainable HIV programmes,” Chilambe added.
According to World Health Organisation Country Representative in Malawi Dr Charles Kuria Njuguna, the country has met the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets in the adult population meaning 95% of adults living with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed are on treatment, and 95% of those on treatment have achieved viral suppression. In contrast, he noted that viral suppression among children stands at only about 84%.
“We need to work hard to ensure that children that have HIV are detected, and once we find them they are put on ARVs,” Dr Njuguna said.
Summing up, Lighthouse Trust Executive Director Dr Ethel Rambiki called for sustainable programmes and greater government ownership as international funding declines.
“We want to transfer the skills that we have gathered over time so that they should be replicated by the government of Malawi as they are taking ownership of the programmes,” emphasised Dr Rambiki.
With funding under pressure, stakeholders to the conference say stronger domestic financing and effective partnerships are essential to sustaining Malawi’s HIV response and protecting the gains made and ending AIDS as a public health.
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