By Rangarirai Shanyurai
Government has revealed that Masvingo Province has a seven months’ supply of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) HIV medication in stock amidst growing concerns of availability of the critical drugs following United States funding cancellation by American President Donald Trump.
This was revealed by Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa during a press discussion organised by TellZim News on March 5.
Dr Pazvakavambwa urged the public to remain calm saying government was working on modalities to close the gap after the seven months.
“When we checked together with Minister Ezra Chadzamira (Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution) to find out whether the people who are on ART are safe given this predicament we found ourselves in, the answer we got is that we have seven month supply in stock which I think is a good breathing space whilst government works on alternatives,” said Dr Pazvakavambwa.
His statement comes at a time when people who are taking the special drugs were uncertain of their supply following the funding cancellation.
Dr Pazvakavambwa also acknowledged government’s efforts in improving health service delivery saying drug supply in the province averaged 55-57 percent.
In February 2025, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said Zimbabwe had enough stocks of ARV for the coming six months.
“We already have supplies of the ARVs for the next six months and procurement process to get drugs that will last until the end of year are already under way. We were doing everything to ensure that we don’t reverse the gains we have made in the fight against HIV and Aids,” said Dr Mombeshora.
The government of Zimbabwe has however showed reluctance in providing sufficient funding for the health sector following successive years of not meeting the requirements of the Abuja Declaration which it is a signatory to.
In the 2025 budget, the health sector was allocated ZiG276.4 billion equivalent to US$7.5 million.
