WINDHOEK – It has not been an easy road for Namibia to achieve its current progress in meeting the global Millennium Development Goal targets on HIV. Besides the global financial crisis, the country’s health budget has to compete with the funding of other pressing priorities. Moreover, the health system itself is weak, and encumbered by serious skills shortages.
Namibia’s ranking as an upper-middle income country, is also turning donors away, forcing the country to increase its funding for HIV and other health related response programmes. Compounding the problem is the fact that the departure of international funding partners from Namibia has impacts that extend far beyond financial losses, as they take with them evidence, technical assistance and networks, says the Dr Tharcisse Barihuta, the UNAIDS Country Coordinator for Namibia. Barihuta was commenting on the challenges and achievements in the just released UNAIDS Global Report on the AIDS Epidemic 2013, which tracks the world’s progress in achieving the sixth MDG goal, which specifically looks at halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic. “Namibia faces a unique and challenging situation compared to other countries in the region,” said Barihuta in an exclusive interview with New Era yesterday.
Today the Namibian government funds about 60 percent of the national HIV response programmes. The funding would increase in the coming years, when the other donor agencies withdraw the bulk of their funding. Agencies such as PEPFAR and USAID have already indicated that they would significantly reduce their funding from 2015. UNAIDS is nevertheless pleased that Namibia has been able to manage the transition process from relying on external funding to domestic funding. “These developments are a clear indication and demonstration of the leadership and political commitment of the government to ensure sustainability of the AIDS response,” said Barihuta. The 2013 global report contains encouraging news for the world with a dramatic acceleration towards reaching 2015 global targets on HIV.
These include a 52 percent reduction in new HIV infections among children and a combined 33 percent reduction among adults and children since 2001 globally. By the end of 2012, some 9.7 million people in low- and middle-income countries were accessing antiretroviral therapy, an increase of nearly 20 percent in just one year, of which 6.3 millions are in the eastern and south Africa regions. “Not only can we meet the 2015 target of 15 million people on HIV treatment by 2015, we must also go beyond and have the vision and commitment to ensure no one is left behind,” commented UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe on the achievements articulated in the report. The report notes that Namibia has made great strides in key programme areas such as ARV treatment and monitoring, mother to child prevention, HIV counselling and testing and the reduction of new HIV infections.
But the country also has to consider the adoption HIV drug resistance monitoring strategies, as the anti-retroviral therapy programme widens across the country. Further, Namibia just like Botswana, made progress by reducing new infections by 50 percent and has increased treatment coverage. “The country has achieved universal access to HIV treatment on target, by December 2010, one of only ten low- and middle-income countries globally, and three in Africa to do so,” said Barihuta.
By Desie Heita