Mozambique’s Health Minister believes that covid-19 has affected the country’s HIV/AIDS program due to the reduction and detour of resources to cope with the pandemic.
“The normal programs for other diseases had to reduce in terms of performance, not only because of lack of resources, but also because of the fact that covid-19 precipitated to an isolation in many countries,” said Armindo Tiago, quoted by the newspaper Notícias.
According to the Mozambican governor, covid-19 forced the reallocation of resources from the program to fight HIV/AIDS and other diseases, which culminated in the reduction of the gains obtained in its combat.
The isolation imposed by covid-19, advanced Armindo Tiago, also affected the “export of medicines and hospital consumables,” which led the entity to extend the period of dispensation of antibiotics.
“One of the measures adopted was the introduction of long-term packages. In this context, we dispensed medications for longer periods, so that patients would not travel frequently to the health units and comply with the social distancing,” stressed Armindo Tiago.
The last Immunization, Malaria and HIV/AIDS Indicators Survey in Mozambique (IMASIDA), conducted in 2015, points the country as one of the five with high pandemic infection rate in the world, with 13.2% of youth and adults between 15 years and 49 years contaminated.
