Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Health (Administration), Bestone Chisamile, has commended the contributions communities have made towards sstrengthening of health systems.
Chisamile disclosed that the communities have played a pivotal role in strengthening health workforce, preventing new HIV infections, inclusion of optimal ARVs for women in the child bearing age, among others.
He was speaking at the joint 2023 World Aids Day and International Aids Candlelight Memorial Commemoration, which took place at Kanyangale Community Ground in the area of Traditional Authority Mwadzama in Nkhotakota.
The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is one of the world’s oldest commemoration events, which is held globally setting time aside to remind us all of the many lives we have lost to AIDS. The day gives people an opportunity to honour those that dedicated their lives in helping people living with and affected by HIV.
Similarly, the World Health Organization set 1st December as World AIDS Day to bring together all people around the world, including public and private partners as well as civil society and communities to sustain awareness about the status of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care.
This year’s commemoration was held under the theme “Let communities lead by spreading love and showing solidarity in ending AIDS”.
Chisamile observed that the role of communities in Malawi has expanded beyond advocacy to include demand creation, service delivery and community-led monitoring.
“Today, as we celebrate the spirit of collaboration and its strength, let us strengthen this collective endeavour and ensure that government, non-governmental organizations, private sector, development partners, and most importantly, communities participate meaningfully. By supporting and empowering communities, we can bridge gaps in prevention, treatment, and care, ensuring that no one is left behind,” said the PS.
Chisamile added that communities in Malawi have shown incredible resilience, unity, and innovation in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
He said communities have become the first line of defence, reaching those who are most vulnerable.
“You will agree with me that civil society organizations and community structures have been instrumental in raising awareness, delivering care and support to those living with HIV and most importantly advocating for policy change,” he said.
But Chisamile emphasized the need for Malawians to continue prioritizing targeted HIV prevention interventions with high impact to close the tap for new infections.
He said every Malawian, regardless of their background or circumstances, needs to have access to accurate information and available services to protect themselves from contracting HIV, access treatment services and live quality lives.
“Thirdly, we must continue to fight stigma and discrimination associated with HIV which is among the biggest barriers to effective HIV prevention, care and treatment. It is our moral duty to create a society where every person is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their HIV status. The Government of Malawi together with our development partners make ARVs accessible to all Malawians as this intervention has led to high viral suppression rates. Viral Suppresion among people living with HIV is key to elimination of HIV. That is why now we are promoting the Tizilombo Tochepa = Thanzi (T=T) treatment literacy campaign,” he assured.
National Aids Commission (NAC) Board Chairperson, Dr. Chipo Chanjo, concurred with Chisamile, stressing that Malawi can only end AIDS if communities are included in leading the way.
Chanjo stated that communities have been key in the HIV and AIDS Response as they connect people to the nearest health facilities, conduct community mobilization and hold providers and duty bearers accountable.
“It is in light of the above that the government in collaboration with civil society decided to have this commemoration in Kanyangale village; a community dominated by fishermen here in Nkhotakota, to indeed take the messaging to the grassroots for continuous action,” she said.
At this point, Chanjo reported that Malawi has made significant strides in attaining positive outcomes in the HIV and AIDS Response.
She said by June 2023, a total of 952,011people were aware that they were living with HIV. Out of these, 937,994 were initiated on the life-prolonging ARVs and of those initiated on the ARVs, 872,334 had their viral load suppressed.
“This represents a 95:99:93 performance against the UNAIDS 95:95:95 treatment targets. The country has further managed to reduce the number of AIDS-related deaths by 67% from around 36,000 in 2010 to 12,000 in 2022 and new infections by 72% from around 56,000 in 2010 to around 16,000 in 2022. In addition, the country has reduced adult HIV prevalence (15-49 years) from 10.6% to 7.1% between 2010 and 2022,” she said.
However, Chanjo said there are still some population groups such as Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) and Key Populations where new HIV infections are still high and calls for reinforcing our HIV prevention efforts such pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), condom distribution to the last mile and voluntary male medical circumcision (VMMC), among others.
In his remarks, UNAids Country Director in Malawi, Dr. Nuha Ceesay, lamented that the world loses a life to HIV and Aids every minute, while 4000 girls and young women contract the virus every week.
Ceesay added that out of the 39 million people living with HIV, 9.2 million do not have access to lifesaving treatment.
He therefore called upon the government and its development partners to allocate sufficient resources to improve the quality of HIV services and make them more resilient and sustainable.
