The impact of a decision made in Washington a year ago continues to be felt in South Africa (SA), as health programmes struggle with reduced funding. Shortly after his inauguration, United States (US) President Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing US aid commitments, sending shockwaves through the health sector.
For SA, this threatened the loss of an estimated $400 million annually, which the US had contributed to the country’s HIV programmes, roughly one fifth of total spending on the issue. In response, the SA government provided $46 million, covering just 11.5% of the shortfall.
Zolisa Sigabi reports that a temporary “bridge plan” of $115 million has been agreed upon to last until the end of March, replacing regular funding from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Since its establishment by President George W. Bush in 2003, PEPFAR has contributed over $110 billion to the global HIV response, saving an estimated 26 million lives. Many of these lives have been in SA, where around 13% of the population is living with HIV, giving the country the largest number of HIV-positive people in the world.
The funding freeze has highlighted the vulnerability of national health programmes that rely heavily on international aid, sparking calls for more sustainable domestic investment in the fight against HIV.
–ChannelAfrica–
