On Thursday (6),the government of the United States of America (USA) approved an ‘emergency humanitarian exception’ authorising the immediate resumption of mother-to-child HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services in 55 countries, including Mozambique.
The decision results from the revocation of the US executive order that announced the suspension of foreign development aid for 90 days, with the aim of assessing programme efficiency and alignment with the US government’s foreign policy.
According to a note from the US State Department, quoted by the newspaper Noticias, the agencies implementing the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – the largest global initiative in response to the disease – have been instructed to take the necessary measures to speed up the resumption of these services as quickly as possible, allowing millions of people to continue to have access to treatment.
‘The approval of the Emergency Humanitarian Exception represents a retreat by the US administration in the face of global pressure for the United States to continue funding the global response to HIV/AIDS in order to achieve the common goal of ending the pandemic,’ the document added.
In the case of Mozambique, over the last 20 years PEPFAR has invested more than 5.2 billion dollars in the country’s HIV/AIDS response, saving millions of lives and preventing thousands of new infections.
By September 2023, with PEPFAR’s support, 2.05 million people living with HIV were receiving treatment, enabling them to continue leading normal, healthy lives.
Last week, the government said that the suspension of US international aid ‘compromised’ health programmes in Mozambique, especially HIV/AIDS, and that it was in ‘dialogue’ with the US embassy to ‘mitigate the impacts.’
‘The sudden withdrawal of this support somehow compromises the efficiency of the implementation of these programmes. Support from the US government finances a considerable part of the provision of health professionals, especially in the area of HIV/AIDS care,’ said Inocêncio Impissa, government spokesman and Minister of State Administration and Civil Service, during a press conference in Maputo.
Recognising the ‘seriousness of the measure’ announced by US President Donald Trump, he nevertheless guaranteed the continuity of essential health services, urging the population not to panic.
