In Zimbabwe, AIDS Care Done on the Cheap

In the region with the world's highest HIV infection rate, Zimbabwe remains isolated from the ever-increasing donor money now pouring into other countries. According to the World Bank, last year Zimbabwe received just $4 in donor support per HIV-infected person, compared to $187 for each person in neighboring Zambia. The reason: Donors fear President Robert Mugabe would divert AIDS money for personal or political gain.

But despite a lack of funding, AIDS programs manage to carry on. One program designed to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission has expanded nationwide, thanks to initiatives started by the country's health administrators and workers. Its government coordinator, Agnes Mahomva, said it has expanded to 800 of Zimbabwe's 1,183 hospitals and clinics.

Mahomva conceded, however, that Zimbabwe's economic and political problems are eroding many gains. In 2002, government figures showed 35 percent of HIV-positive mothers and their infants received a single dose of nevirapine during labor, which dramatically lowers transmission. By 2003, that figure jumped to 56 percent, but it fell last year to an estimated 46 percent. Mahomva said her investigation into the decline showed many health workers left Zimbabwe in the past year.

This year, the US government, by far Zimbabwe's largest donor, allocated $25 million for HIV/AIDS programs, including $1.6 million for the mother-to-child prevention program. US officials said they had not found any instances of misspending, including money that is given directly to the Ministry of Health.

Last month, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria released $10 million in funding that had been on hold since 2002. Global Fund spokesperson Jon Liden said he believes "the proper safeguards are in place" to ensure the money goes to the people who need it.

Back to other news for May 5, 2005