Stakeholders urged to invest on HIV prevention

FATMA ABDU

PRIME Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, has called on AIDS Trust Fund (ATF) board members and officials to ensure they manage funds to achieve intended goals.

Mr Majaliwa made the remarks when opening a two-day National HIV and AIDS Forum held in Dar es Salaam yesterday, saying the government will continue to allocate funds for HIV and Aids in order to encourage the public and various stakeholders, including the private sector to contribute towards the fund.

Under the theme ‘Contribute for AIDS Trust Fund, Save Lives’ the premier said that the forum will provide a great opportunity to meditate the actual situation of HIV/AIDS in the country and look on how to encourage various stakeholders to contribute for ATF.

“As we know that at this period, the fund for controlling AIDS has continued to decrease after donors finished their contracts. The government will not tolerate those who misuse government funds for their own benefits.

This forum is another chance for all of us to increase internal funds for controlling AIDS in order to reduce dependency and ensure we maintain a sustainable HIV/AIDS service across the country,” Mr Majaliwa said.

Mr Majaliwa explained that despite many Tanzanians being aware of HIV/AIDS, the government is still facing traditional beliefs that become the main source of HIV/AIDS transmission to many Tanzanians.

He said the government through Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) has continued to implement some strategies of controlling the transmission of AIDS that will encourage various stakeholders to provide funds to achieve goals.

The premier said that ATF would successfully help in collecting enough money that is important to the nation as the government plans to end HIV and Aids by 2030.

Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Faustine Ndugulile advised public and various stakeholders to invest on prevention rather than cure, and to provide knowledge on specific groups of people such as youths and set strong strategies that will help reduce transmission of AIDS in the country.

“Our present strategy of controlling HIV/AIDS ends this year. We as a ministry have prepared another strategy that will end by 2022, which will help reduce transmission of AIDS among Tanzanians and boost the national economy,” Dr Ndugulile said.

On his Part, TACAIDS Executive Director, Dr Leonard Maboko said that the forum is part of World Aids Day to be celebrated on December 1 each year, saying the forum will evaluate the situation of HIV and Aids in the country and look for a way forward.

“We are going to look on the situation of HIV in the country, way forwards, how to encourage many donors to contribute towards ATF and how to establish various strategies that will create awareness on the transmission of HIV and Aids to the people,” Dr Maboko noted.