By Staff Reporter Us President
THE government has assured the nation that antiretroviral (ARV) medicines will remain available and accessible to all who need them through to the end of 2025, and plans are already in motion to secure supply for the first half of 2026.
This reassurance comes amid growing global concerns following the January executive order signed by US President, Donald Trump, which threatened to destabilise international supply chains for essential medicines, including those used in HIV treatment.
In a follow-up interview, the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Douglas Mombeshora confirmed that Zimbabwe, anticipating possible disruptions, acted swiftly and now has enough ARVs in stock.
鈥淎s I have said previously, we began the year with sufficient ARV stocks to last until the end of June. Following the announcement of the executive order by the United States, the Government acted swiftly by placing new orders through two suppliers to close the anticipated gap,鈥 Dr Mombeshora said.
鈥淭he stocks are now in place to cover us up to the end of the year, not yet completely delivered. We started receiving the medicines about three or four weeks ago and we are hoping by the end of the first or second week of July, all deliveries will have been completed. We can assure the nation that we have enough stocks for ARVs up to the end of the year. We are now working on a plan because we start procuring before they run out so that we also cover the next six months from January 2026 to June 2026.鈥
Zimbabwe鈥檚 resilience in the face of global supply disruptions is largely anchored in its dual domestic financing model, the AIDS Levy, established in 1999 and the newer SIN Tax on sugary drinks and unhealthy foods.
These home-grown funding streams have managed to empower the National AIDS Council and the Ministry of Health and Child Care with essential financial independence, ensuring consistent procurement of medicines and uninterrupted HIV treatment programmes.