Funding cuts drive 16% drop in HIV testing
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on The Nation Malawi
Funding cuts have led to a 16% decline in HIV testing in Malawi and disrupted several prevention services, including pre-exposure prophylaxis and voluntary medical male circumcision. UNAIDS country director David Chipanta warned of the effects in Lilongwe, The Nation Malawi reports.
Funding cuts have caused disruptions to several HIV prevention services in Malawi, including undelivered stocks of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) tablets and the suspension of voluntary medical male circumcision for men, David Chipanta, UNAIDS country director in Malawi, said during a national dialogue in Lilongwe on 12 November. He said HIV testing had declined by 15 to 16%.
Chipanta warned that continued disruptions could undermine progress made in the fight against HIV. According to him, health facilities alone cannot reach people who stop their treatment or mobilise communities to use available services.
Participants in the two-day dialogue, organised with the government, civil society organisations and development partners, are seeking to strengthen domestic financing for community health services. They are proposing, in particular, a social contracting mechanism allowing the state to use public funds to officially finance NGOs and community organisations providing health services.
Simon Sikwese, vice-president of the Civil Society Advocacy Forum, said funding still available from the Global Fund benefited only a limited number of organisations. Community associations working with hard-to-reach populations therefore continue to face irregular funding, he said.
The decline in testing comes as Malawi faces difficulties in encouraging men to undergo HIV testing, a subject covered in a previous article published on 8 November.
