The new HIV treatment guidelines which have just been introduced by the World Health Organisation are giving  headaches to the country’s struggling health sector, a senior government official has said.
The latest WHO HIV guidelines mandate governments to put on treatment all people who would have tested positive for HIV on treatment within one month.
What this means is that Zimbabwe has to put more people on HIV treatment at a time the country is failing to place all people living with HIV on treatment.
There are at least 1.5 million people who are living with HIV in Zimbabwe and only 850 000 are on treatment.
Dr Owen Mugurungi the director of HIV and TB in the Ministry of Health and Child Care told reporters  attending a Health Journalists Association of Zimbabwe HEJAZ organised health talk show in Harare recently that the new WHO HIV guidelines has bought in an additional 300 000 people who should immediately be administered on  HIV treatment on top of the 905,368 who are in dire need of the life saving drug.
“As a nation we should be prepared to make hard choices to make sure that there is enough resources for the health sector because investment in health is also investment  in the future of your country because if you cannot invest in the health of your country then you have challenges and you run the risk of always be on the lookout and watch out saying what if, what if..,” said Dr Mugurungi .
Dr Mugurungi said they are hopes that the civil society and development partners might extend funding  the health sector.
“On commodity security in terms of medicines we are better and I am happy that the confirmation from the civil society that there are less drug stock outs it is a confirmation that it’s something that is reassuring, but we would want to come to a situation that there are drugs for everyone”.