US invests over E4.1bn in PEPFAR resources for Eswatini
MBABANE – Over a fiveyear period from 2015 to 2020, the Government of the United States of America (USA) invested more than E4.1 billion in PEPFAR resources in Eswatini.
This was revealed by the US Ambassador to Eswatini, Jeanne Maloney, yesterday during the celebration of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) partnerships through US Centres for Disease Control (CDC)-funded mechanisms in the Kingdom of Eswatini and to officially launch the new partnerships to strengthen health systems and improve the lives of people living with HIV and TB.
The newly-launched cooperative agreement (COAG) partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown University (GU) is projected to last for the next five years. The GU was awarded by the CDC, taking over from ICAP.
Maloney said PEPFAR had worked collaboratively with the Ministry of Health, UN partners, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations through CDC, USAID, Peace Corps, and the Department of Defence to set the stage for the next five years to sustain Eswatini at HIV epidemic control.
Reflecting on the past five years achievement, Maloney said the cooperative agreement they had with the Ministry of Health, US investments through ICAP in strengthening laboratory and surveillance systems had not only contributed to HIV epidemic control, but have also been instrumental in their ability to respond quickly to COVID-19.
She said she decentralised laboratory testing platforms, robust sample transport network, and internationally accredited reference labs established within the last five years allowed for continuity of essential HIV and TB diagnostic and monitoring services while simultaneously deploying a rapid COVID-19 diagnosis strategy.
Maloney noted that ICAP’s collaboration with the Epidemiology and Disease Control Unit to track HIV and other disease trends had built capacity for Epidemiology
and Disease Control Unit (EDCU) to create timely and relevant COVID-19 situation reports that were reviewed daily.
She said they also continue to play an instrumental role in demonstrating the impact of our investments as a principal investigator on the Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS) surveys in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and CDC.
Partnerships
Maloney said CDC, through PEPFAR funding, has begun the next five-year cycle of partnerships to continue the impactful work of reducing the HIV/TB infection rate, improving the quality of care and treatment for people living with HIV, building capacity within the Government of Eswatini to sustain and increase the gains made over the last five years.
Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi said the
Government of Eswatini was excited with the new partnership and looked forward to the continued cooperation and would remain committed to delivering an AIDSfree generation by 2022.
On another note, Ambassador Maloney urged all stakeholders to pursue peaceful dialogue as an opportunity to broaden the discussion on critical national issues and seek solutions.
The ambassador was speaking yesterday during the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) closing of old, and launching of new awards in Eswatini.
Maloney said over the past several months, the US Embassy continued to call for inclusive, comprehensive, peaceful, and honest dialogue—which was, at its heart, a listening exercise.