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Martha Leboho Herald Correspondent
Zimbabwe needs $18 million to complement a grant from the Global Fund to sustain the country’s ongoing battle against HIV and Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The country, early this year, received a $502 million grant from the Global Fund to help combat the three diseases over the next three years.

Director of Aids and TB programme in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Owen Mugurungi said the country had an $18 million shortfall.

Speaking at an HIV and Aids partnership conference organised by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) at Great Zimbabwe Hotel recently, Dr Mugurungi said the shortfall will affect about 127 000 people countrywide unless Government intervenes.

“We have received half a billion from donors, but the money is not enough to cater for the 2018-2020 programme to fight Aids, TB and Malaria. We are running on a shortfall of $18 million this year which is equivalent to 127 000 people and in terms of health this is a scary figure.

“We are relying on the Global Fund and other international donors in the fight against Aids, TB and Malaria, but on a normal condition we expect Treasury to intervene as we cannot be beggars all the time,” said Dr Mugurungi.

In his address at the conference, ZPCS Deputy Commissioner General Dr Alford Dube said his organisation has come up with a number of strategies to prevent the spread of HIV and Aids in jails.

He said surveys were being done to determine whether there were chances of new HIV infections inside prisons.

“We are putting extra effort to prevent the spread of of HIV and Aids in prisons and among other measures we do not even allow sharp objects inside the prisons while we also continue to intensify educating inmates about the deadly disease and also providing testing and counselling services,’’ he said.

Dr Dube emphasised that ZPCS did not condone homosexual activities in the country’s prisons at all costs saying the organisation was currently carrying out a survey to establish its existence and scale.

“We totally do not allow homosexuality as it is a criminal offense, we cannot deny or agree that it happens inside the prisons as it is a private act between two people, but we have partnered the National Aids Council in a research to determine whether this criminal activity is taking place inside the prisons,’’ he said.

Access to health facilities, said Dr Dube, remained a big challenge in the country’s prisons which are currently grappling with a low drug supplies for prisoners.

Currently, statistics show that 1 323 629 people are living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe out of which 1 249 179 are adults while the number of is 74 460.

Annually, 32 000 new cases of infected adults are recorded and the Ministry of Health has introduced a number of measures to reduce HIV and AIDS infections some of which include voluntary male circumcision and HIV testing and counselling among others.

Out of the war chest availed by the Global Fund to cover the next three years in Zimbabwe, $426 million will go towards ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.