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What specific actions can be taken and by who right now to safeguard the progress made in the HIV response to ensure nobody is left behind, without support?
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15 Replies
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A lot of the frontline healthcare workers have been affected by the funding freeze. In Nairobi County, we have 1,476 healthcare workers who have been providing HIV services to people living with HIV. These are healthcare workers with extensive knowledge and skills, exposure and experience. There is need for advocacy with governments on increased domestic financing and resource allocation to health in order to absorb the healthcare workers into the primary healthcare to continue providing services. Leaving the healthcare workers will overstretch the HRH hence affecting quality of care and health outcomes for those living with HIV.
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The immediate steps include increasing financing for health, as much of the work has been donor dependent. Increased funding will support NHCs, CHWs, and data clerks in resuming their roles and providing essential services despite ongoing uncertainties. For instance, here in Zambia, part of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) cash for work should be channeled to the facility support staff.
Additionally, enhanced communication and transparency from government ministries about the plans to respond to the stop work order are crucial to preventing panic. There is also a need to heighten awareness while actively working to reduce stigma and discrimination.
We have to work together and strengthen our collaborations even more and more.
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The government of Nigeria has to be more intentional about it’s citizens’ health and take ownership of the program.Additionally,the government have to understand that the days of having external aid are over or nearing over,and therefore should increase budgetary allocation to health.Similarly modalities should be in place for transitioning and not the abrupt funding withdrawal.
Country: Nigeria
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The Eswatini government is actively increasing healthcare budgets and partnering with the private sector to strengthen support for ensuring the availability of ART, life-saving medications, and the integration of healthcare services.
Country: Eswatini
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It is challenging pointing out one solution to solve the adverse impact of the termination of USAID funding at this point. At the top of my mind some of the actions that can be taken is for facilities to engage cadres such as community health workers ( CWHs) and graduating trained healthcare providers who can volunteer their time to continue providing vital health services. This short term measure can help highly burden facilitates to sustain gains in community HIV response. For the long-term plan, this is a time where facilities should gaps assessment and gather evidence that can be used to engage policy makers at high level high, as we know facilities and facility managers rarely engage in this type of advocacy therefore, community-led organisations and community gatekeepers are key in using the evidence to advocate for the introduction of community health workers and other key health cadres on the government payroll. This is the time for government to take up its responsibility of funding the health services including community interventions and the evidence at facility is going to be key.
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<font style=”vertical-align: inherit;”><font style=”vertical-align: inherit;” class=””> Para mim e para o meu país é tempo de nos reinventar, começamos com algumas soluções que de alguma forma possam resolver alguns problemas básicos como a oferta de serviços básicos da saúde, que eram e ou são suportado ela USAID e PEPFAR para que haja continuidade dos serviços mínimos. principalmente a oferta dos serviços tarv.</font></font>
Country: Moçambique
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<div>The Government, partners. NGOs and communities all have key roles to play. </div><div>The Government of Nigeria has been proactive about the safety of its citizens as it relates to HIV and other health emergencies. I am aware that the Government has commenced an Activity workplan for 2025-2028 State HIV/AIDs Strategic Plan Development, by this; the Governments should; </div>
– Increase domestic funding for HIV programs and ensure that funds are released for such activity.
<div>- Governments policies and laws that support HIV prevention, treatment, and care, ensuring a conducive environment for those affected and the front line health workers</div><div> – Health System Strengthening and especially technical assistance will ensure sustainability and efficiency of HIV services.</div>
-Reinforcement of integration of HIV services into the National health insurance service
<div> -Continued government engagement with CSOs, NGOs, Development partners, philanthropic organizations. In other to promote advocacy and community participation.</div>
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</div>Country: Nigeria
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USAID has been an umbrella to many health facilities especially when it comes to supply of the needed health equipment. The USAID funding should be an eye opener especially to the third world countries to find an way of amplifying resources that would see to it that when these mother donor companies stop funding, we are able to continue with offering health services to clients without them having to panic. This calls for the establishment of a collaborative decision making platform amongst various government stakeholders and make sure that these resources once availed can be accessible to every individual seeking health services in our health facilities.
Country: Kenya
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Government and the ministry of health in Malawi should increase domestic financing for HIV programs to reduce reliance on external donors. currently, our health budget is less than 15% of the over all general budget which is below what the Abuja declaration had demanded. for other services, there is need to strengthen integration of HIV services into the general health system to ensure sustainability.
policy reforms that prioritize vulnerable groups including children and adolescents should be advocated for. on the other hand, as healthcare professionals we should make sure that the resources we have should be well optimized and prudently used to sustain HIV services.
Country: Malawi
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A lot is happening back here in my country, where the trainings are now targeting the government employees as well to be empowered in regard to HIV service provision. By doing so, the integration of services which is already happening in few of the facilities within Nairobi County will pick up without much efforts.
The government itself as per the current supplementary budget passed on 18th March 2025, had increased financing to the health care to take care of HRH issues as well as medications is concerned. Note this is my take.
I believe no one will lose their job especially among the health care providers hence care and treatment for HIV services both preventive and promotive services will still continue without much interruption.Country: Kenya
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<header>Key Points</header>
- Protect yourself during sex: To reduce your risk of getting HIV, use condoms correctly every time you have sex.
- Protect yourself if you inject drugs: Do not inject drugs. If you do, use only sterile injection equipment and water, and never share your equipment with others.
- Protect yourself by taking PrEP: If you do not have HIV but are at risk of getting HIV, talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP involves taking a specific HIV medicine every day or an injectable HIV medicine every two months to reduce the risk of getting HIV through sex or injection drug use.
- Protect others if you have HIV: Take HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as prescribed by your doctor. ART can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood (called viral load) to the point where a test cannot detect it (called an undetectable viral load). If you have an undetectable viral load, you will not transmit HIV to your partner through sex.
- Prevent perinatal transmission: If you have HIV and take HIV medicine as prescribed by your doctor throughout pregnancy and childbirth, the chances of transmitting HIV to your baby are less than 1%. If you have a partner with HIV and are considering getting pregnant, talk to your doctor about PrEP to help protect you and your baby from getting HIV while you try to get pregnant, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.
clinicalinfo.hiv.gov
A product used during sex (including vaginal, anal, or oral sex) to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV, and/or reduce the likelihood of pregnancy. An external condom is a thin cover that fits over an erect … Continue reading
Country: Nigeria
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Videos related to the impact of the US funding cuts | UNAIDS
unaids.org
Videos related to the impact of the US funding cuts | UNAIDS
Videos related to the impact of the US funding cuts | UNAIDS
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There will be need for the government’s to absorb the staff affected that have been closely supporting HIV activities in the clinics and this can oly be done by allocating funds to cater for hiv and its related activities ,health ministries need to raise this as priority if we realy do not want to go back where we came from as we head towards 2030
Asuret hc 111 art clinic
uganda
Country: uganda
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County government to allocate money for HIV, TB programs and Standards of Practice for integration CCC services in public health facilities
Country: Kenya
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The way to go is integration but now the available partners should bridge the gap by including the passionate staff in the transition process to ensure the best practices are inculcated in the new staff to ensure smooth running of activities to accommodate all young persons living with HIV and adolescents
Country: Kenya
