It's our own battle
As funding for national HIV/Aids responses becomes more unpredictable in the face of competing priorities, protectionism and growing nationalism in countries that host funding agencies, a SADC HIV Fund project being implemented by the SADC PF is prompting SADC member states to explore ways of raising domestic resources to respond...
The permanent secretary in the Zambian health ministry, Dr Jabbin Mulwanda, has praised a two year-long SADC-initiated project meant to advocate for the use of domestic resources to respond to HIV and Aids.
Zambia is among seven Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states that have been receiving funding over the past two years under a joint proposal titled ‘Strengthening the capacity of SADC Member States National Parliaments to facilitate the implementation of Regional, continental and international commitments on HIV and Aids sustainable financing’.
The proposal, developed by the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), is one of 10 meant to reverse a situation in which many responses to the epidemic are locally owned but externally funded.
Asked how successful and necessary the project has been for Zambia, the former director general of the National HIV/Aids/STI/TB Council of Zambia was effusive in his praise for the project.
“To be honest with you - never mind the short time it has been in existence - it’s been very successful in that it achieved the main objectives: To create awareness among MPs and to get their buy-in on the various initiatives on sustainable financing of HIV.”
Mulwanda said there were many positive ripple effects from the project.
“Obviously we have parliaments coming and going; people being voted in and out which can be a challenge. We need a similar project to build the capacity of civil servants that work with parliamentarians to ensure they carry on the role of imparting knowledge to the new MPs that come to join parliament. Even when MPs leave, they go with the knowledge acquired and they can still influence opinions.”
He cautioned that putting in place sustainable financing mechanisms takes time.
“It is a process, not an event. The real benefits might take a long time to come. We have started and it’s a question of time. What we managed to achieve will remain.”
“We have had engagements with MPs to orient them and discuss how the country could sustain financing of the HIV response given that external financing has declined and is now unpredictable,” he said.
He said as proof that Zambian MPs were now engaged, they had begun to ask tough questions in parliament.
“The Parliamentary Committee on Health and Social Services took the issue of HIV sustainable financing and called upon various stakeholders to make submissions on the best way forward HIV sustainable financing mechanisms. As a result they produced a report and recommendations that are really positive for government to implement.”
He added: “After a long time of back and forth, the social health insurance will be introduced in parliament during this sitting because parliamentarians and ministers have been sensitised about the importance of sustainable financial of not just HIV but health in general.”
Zambian parliamentarians work with their local councils. Mulwanda said encouraging movement, albeit small-scale, had been noted at constituency level.
“We have seen that some local councils have begun budgeting for HIV activities in their budgets. This never used to happen. We have also seen that because of the awareness created around sustainable financing, people have started to engage contractors of capital projects which have an allocation for HIV in the contracts given. Respective local councils are demanding from the contractors to carry out or implement the HIV component of their contracts where their projects are taking place.”
Ellen Mubanga, the public-private sector coordinator at NAC Zambia, said that the awareness-raising among MPs under the project, enabled parliamentarians to understand the bills that were introduced to be passed into law so as to make the Zambia compliant to the TRIPS flexibilities
“We have been able to work on those laws this year and Parliament has passed four of the five bills,” Ms Mubanga said.
Going forward, the NAC in Zambia plans to intensify its engagement with MPs over the new targets around HIV to ensure that the MPs are brought up to speed.
*Moses Magadza is communications and advocacy specialist at the SADC PF.
Moses Magadza
Zambia is among seven Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states that have been receiving funding over the past two years under a joint proposal titled ‘Strengthening the capacity of SADC Member States National Parliaments to facilitate the implementation of Regional, continental and international commitments on HIV and Aids sustainable financing’.
The proposal, developed by the SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF), is one of 10 meant to reverse a situation in which many responses to the epidemic are locally owned but externally funded.
Asked how successful and necessary the project has been for Zambia, the former director general of the National HIV/Aids/STI/TB Council of Zambia was effusive in his praise for the project.
“To be honest with you - never mind the short time it has been in existence - it’s been very successful in that it achieved the main objectives: To create awareness among MPs and to get their buy-in on the various initiatives on sustainable financing of HIV.”
Mulwanda said there were many positive ripple effects from the project.
“Obviously we have parliaments coming and going; people being voted in and out which can be a challenge. We need a similar project to build the capacity of civil servants that work with parliamentarians to ensure they carry on the role of imparting knowledge to the new MPs that come to join parliament. Even when MPs leave, they go with the knowledge acquired and they can still influence opinions.”
He cautioned that putting in place sustainable financing mechanisms takes time.
“It is a process, not an event. The real benefits might take a long time to come. We have started and it’s a question of time. What we managed to achieve will remain.”
“We have had engagements with MPs to orient them and discuss how the country could sustain financing of the HIV response given that external financing has declined and is now unpredictable,” he said.
He said as proof that Zambian MPs were now engaged, they had begun to ask tough questions in parliament.
“The Parliamentary Committee on Health and Social Services took the issue of HIV sustainable financing and called upon various stakeholders to make submissions on the best way forward HIV sustainable financing mechanisms. As a result they produced a report and recommendations that are really positive for government to implement.”
He added: “After a long time of back and forth, the social health insurance will be introduced in parliament during this sitting because parliamentarians and ministers have been sensitised about the importance of sustainable financial of not just HIV but health in general.”
Zambian parliamentarians work with their local councils. Mulwanda said encouraging movement, albeit small-scale, had been noted at constituency level.
“We have seen that some local councils have begun budgeting for HIV activities in their budgets. This never used to happen. We have also seen that because of the awareness created around sustainable financing, people have started to engage contractors of capital projects which have an allocation for HIV in the contracts given. Respective local councils are demanding from the contractors to carry out or implement the HIV component of their contracts where their projects are taking place.”
Ellen Mubanga, the public-private sector coordinator at NAC Zambia, said that the awareness-raising among MPs under the project, enabled parliamentarians to understand the bills that were introduced to be passed into law so as to make the Zambia compliant to the TRIPS flexibilities
“We have been able to work on those laws this year and Parliament has passed four of the five bills,” Ms Mubanga said.
Going forward, the NAC in Zambia plans to intensify its engagement with MPs over the new targets around HIV to ensure that the MPs are brought up to speed.
*Moses Magadza is communications and advocacy specialist at the SADC PF.
Moses Magadza
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article