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M2 billion for development of HIV and TB sustainability roadmap

Business

Ntsoaki Motaung

The Ministry of Health has announced a budget of at least M2 billion for the development of a sustainability roadmap for HIV and TB responses in Lesotho.

This was revealed by Dr. Tarumbiswa Tapiwa, HIV and AIDS Programme Manager, during the National Dialogue on the development of the roadmap, held on Monday.

Dr. Tapiwa emphasised the significance of the allocation, noting that the M2 billion budget underscores the scale of the program and its importance.

“When we talk about M2 billion in resources from development partners, civil society, and the government, it reflects the vision we have: a future where HIV and TB epidemics are no longer seen as perpetual threats,” he said.

The ministry envisions a future where all Basotho have access to high-quality, universal HIV and TB prevention, treatment, and care services.

This vision also includes transitioning to a system primarily supported by domestic resources, including human resources, health information systems, supply chains, and financial management.

“Realistically, when we look at the strategic plan, our goal is to reduce new infections to 2,600 annually by 2028. You might wonder how far we are from that target – by the end of 2023, new infections were estimated at 4,800. So, there’s still significant work to be done in reducing new infections,” he explained.

He further emphasised the goal for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) of HIV, aiming for a rate of less than two percent by 2038. As of the end of 2023, the EMTCT rate stood at 5.1 percent.

Tapiwa stressed the importance of focusing on core areas, particularly surveillance – not just for HIV but as part of a broader multi-disease surveillance system that includes TB and other conditions.

He also highlighted the need for network-based approaches, where individuals within specific populations actively engage their peers in testing efforts.

“Let young people test young people, let men test men, and let those populations that may feel stigmatised and left behind engage with their peers,” he added.

UNAIDS Country Director, Pepukai Chikukwa, noted that despite global progress in HIV treatment, care, and support, access remains uneven, with many key and vulnerable populations still unable to receive necessary services. Chikukwa highlighted that HIV prevention has not been sufficiently integrated into national responses and remains underfunded, while AIDS-related mortality continues to be unacceptably high.

“We are also aware that we are living in a world of multiple consecutive crises that threaten the HIV response globally and within countries. Many factors inhibit additional domestic investments, including rising commodity prices, shifts in multilateralism, debt crises, poverty, and the worsening impacts of climate change,” she explained.

She emphasised that, like several other countries in Southern Africa, Lesotho is now being challenged to transform its HIV response for sustainability by 2030 and beyond.

This, she said, is a critical next step for Lesotho’s HIV response, requiring both political and financial commitment to ensure the sustainability of the impact.

“This transformation demands that we refocus efforts where critical gaps persist – whether in areas of HIV prevention, treatment, care, or support – or among specific sub-populations or geographic locations. It should also involve fully integrating HIV response into broader health and social systems, achieving more with fewer resources, and safeguarding the unique aspects of the response, including community-led initiatives and systems, while addressing human rights and gender dimensions of the response,” she added.

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Pandemic Committee, Paul Masiu, stated that while Lesotho has made notable progress in its HIV response, the country still faces significant challenges in addressing tuberculosis (TB). Masiu highlighted that Lesotho remains one of the 30 countries globally with the highest TB and TB/HIV burden.

“While nationally we are close to achieving the 95-95-95 targets for HIV epidemic control, disparities persist across different demographics and sub-populations. We must address these gaps to fully achieve epidemic control throughout the country. Lesotho is at a pivotal moment as we accelerate our efforts to maintain our gains and work toward sustaining epidemic control. Achieving this will require a final push through targeted interventions and a commitment to delivering a cost-effective, affordable, and sustainable response that keeps us on track,” he said.

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