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THE Global Fund has granted Zimbabwe a provisional country allocation of between US$75 million to US$150 million to be channelled towards Covid-19 mitigation responses.
The country will secure the funds through an evidence-based grant proposal to run from 2021-2022 to respond to the devastating Covid-19 pandemic and mitigate the impact of the pandemic in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, and strengthen health and community systems.
“The Global Fund has allocated US$75 million-US$150 million to Zimbabwe,” the United States Embassy in the country, whose Government is the biggest financier for the Global Fund, said in a statement yesterday.
“The base allocation of US$75 million amounts to 15 percent of Zimbabwe’s 2021-2023 Global Fund allocation. Zimbabwe can apply for an additional US$75 million, and the funds should be used by December 31, 2023.”
The United States government has contributed, through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), US$3,5 billion to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB, and malaria (the Global Fund) Covid-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM), as part of its broader global Covid-19 response and recovery strategy.
“The funds from the US government support the Global Fund’s second phase of C19RM, which seeks to alleviate the effects of Covid-19 on the Global Fund’s Aids, tuberculosis, and malaria programmes and to strengthen health and community systems,” said the embassy.
It noted that the resources harnessed under the ARPA, were meant to provide funds to countries to enhance Covid-19 control and containment interventions such as personal protective equipment, diagnostics, treatment, communications, and other measures as specified by the World Health Organisation.
The interventions also cover Covid-19-related risk mitigation measures for programmes to fight the three diseases of Aids, TB, and malaria; as well as strengthening of health and community systems.
This includes support to key aspects of health systems, such as laboratory networks, supply chains, and community-led response systems.
“Working closely with the government of Zimbabwe and health development partners, the C19RM funds complement existing funding sources, such as World Bank, World Health Organisation, other UN Agencies, bilateral assistance, and individual USG agencies, such as the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR),” said the embassy.
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