Zimbabwe worries that HIV/AIDS programs may suffer if the US withdraws from the WHO

Zimbabwe’s finance minister voiced worries on Wednesday that help to nations like his that are most impacted by HIV/AIDS will be reduced if the United States withdraws from the World Health Organization.

Following his inauguration for a second term on Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the U.S. withdrawal.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube cautioned that a U.S. exit may mean less health assistance to nations like Zimbabwe, saying: “Any country with an HIV/AIDS challenge will be impacted.”

“This is a concern, a fear we are expressing,” Ncube said at an online briefing while visiting the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos.

The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) gives Zimbabwe more than $200 million a year, and the U.S. government has provided Zimbabwe with more than $1.7 billion since 2006 to help individuals living with HIV and build health systems, according to the U.S. embassy in Harare.

In addition to providing funds for HIV and viral load testing, prevention, cervical cancer screening, and TB treatment, PEPFAR also pays close to $90 million annually to support healthcare worker wages and incentives in Zimbabwe.

The government of Zimbabwe imposed a sugar tax on drinks last year in an effort to collect money for cancer treatment since the country is having trouble paying for its public health system. This year, a new fast food tax was implemented.

“We must increase the amount of money we spend on health. As we strengthen our ability to cover the shortfall in the event that funding is cut off, the designated taxes have to go toward health,” Ncube stated.