Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Aspect Maunganidze
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The successful completion of the HIV prevention project INTEGRATE-Catalyzing Integrated Sustainable Subnational HIV Biomedical Prevention, is a significant milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts to combat HIV and ending AIDS by 2030, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Aspect Maunganidze has said.
He said this on Wednesday during a meeting meant to celebrate the successful completion of the INTEGRATE project.
The INTEGRATE project which began in November 2020, was implemented by Population Solutions for Health (PSH) with partners Ministry of Health and Child Care, Population Services International (PSI), SAFAIDS, GENESIS analytics, IPSOS, UCSF, and PRECIOUS Innovations and was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (now Gates Foundation).
The project will be concluded at the end of this month.
It was designed based on the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Strategic Implementation Plan for 2019-2021.
It is said the Sustainability Transition Implementation Plan (STIP) aims to create a roadmap for the country’s transition from scale-up programming, which has proven effective but is ultimately unsustainable due to its parallel implementation and high costs.
Dr Maunganidze revealed that the successful completion was as a result of the role played by many partners, stakeholders and individuals.
“Over the past few years, we have witnessed remarkable progress in our fight against HIV.
“Zimbabwe has reached the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, achieving epidemic control.
“This success is a testament to the dedication, hard work and collaboration of everyone involved in HIV/AIDS prevention, Treatment, and Care.
“However, our journey continues. In order to maintain the gains, we must continue to build on these achievements and address the remaining challenges which may be missing certain populations, including key and vulnerable populations and children,” said Dr Maunganidze.
He also revealed that the country had several key achievements of the HIV program such as reaching UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, demonstrating the commitment to controlling the HIV epidemic.
“We have implemented innovative prevention strategies that significantly reduce new HIV infections.
“Our efforts have strengthened community engagement, ensuring prevention messages reach at-risk people.
“We have prioritized sustainable practices, ensuring that our progress is maintained for the long term.
“The fourth achievement of sustainable practices highlights contributions from the INTEGRATE project, which we are here to celebrate today.”
Dr Maunganidze also revealed that by executing the STIP, INTEGRATE has made valuable contributions to integrating the VMMC program with the routine activities of the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC), strengthening the health system across the different pillars, and advancing the sustainability agenda.
“This has been achieved by decentralizing services, enhancing the capacity of service providers and health managers at the subnational level, and strengthening community-based partnerships.”
He also highlighted the few key results from the INTEGRATE implementation which include the increase in the coverage of VMMC service delivery at primary health facilities due to the decentralization of service delivery to at least 30 percent of primary facilities.
“By revising the nursing curriculum to include a module on HIV prevention and treatment, we anticipate that service providers’ coverage will improve as we graduate our first cohort in 2025.
“The project has enhanced the capacity of district health executives in planning and coordinating the VMMC program through an input financing sub-award, seconded district officers, and participation in an Organizational Development course.
“This enabled the managers to lead the planning of VMMC and HIV biomedical prevention services in their respective districts, with visibility of their budgets, and identify efficiencies, demonstrating that complex programs like VMMC can be done with the leadership of the sub national MOHCC structures, if given resources with minimal partner support.
“It has strengthened the capacity of community leaders, community health workers, and school health programs to mobilize for VMMC.
“Nine community-based groups with income-generating activities were established across five districts to continue mobilizing efforts for HIV prevention.
“INTEGRATE has piloted the integration of VMMC output financing into the nationally recognized Results-Based Financing mechanism with success in four districts.
“The learnings from this integration were used to expand RBF into the 4 USAID and 3 CDC districts, with the plan to eventually transition all districts to RBF in the coming years.
“It has supported the development of an e-learning platform for VMMC service providers. This platform will significantly reduce training costs, improve client engagement, enhance capacity building for service providers, and provide refresher training,” said Dr Maunganidze.
He added that the platform developed for VMMC has been adopted by the MoHCC to be the host for all health areas.
Dr Maunganidze also said the project has contributed valuable evidence to the community of practice regarding the feasibility and safety of the Shang Ring device for 13-14-year-olds, its cost-effectiveness, and procedure consent for the same age group.
“This evidence will help guide future policy decisions with WHO and technical and funding partners.”
“It is important to remain committed to sustaining the gains and this requires a “nuanced and evidence-based approach to reaching underserved pockets in our communities, which is in line with the government’s vision to leave no one behind.
“We must also prioritize strengthening and integrating biomedical prevention for at-risk populations to ensure long-term sustainability. This includes transitioning from partner-led HIV Biomedical Prevention programming to a locally owned and driven response.”
Population Solutions for Health (PSH) Board Chair, Precious Chakasikwa, said from the project’s inception in November 2020, they set out with a clear vision and ambitious goals.
“We aimed to support improved GoZ-led (Government of Zimbabwe) subnational health system performance to sustain improved access, coverage, quality, and safety of integrated biomedical prevention.
“We set out to facilitate the subnational transition from vertical partner-led VMMC programming to horizontal, locally-owned, locally-driven, and integrated biomedical prevention response, which reduces new HIV infections for at-risk populations.
“Our mission was to achieve technical excellence and create a lasting impact on our community and stakeholders,” said Chakasikwa.
She added: “as we close this chapter, it is important to recognize that our work does not end here.
“The completion of this project is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together towards a common goal.
“Let us carry forward the lessons learned, the relationships built, and the spirit of innovation that has defined this journey.”
PSH Executive Director, Dr Noah Taruberekera, said the goal was to support improved GoZ-led subnational health system performance to sustain improved access, coverage, quality, and safety of integrated biomedical prevention.
“Additionally, it also aimed to facilitate the subnational transition from vertical partner-led VMMC programming to locally owned, locally driven, and integrated biomedical prevention response.
“Today, we convene to reflect on our collective journey, celebrate our accomplishments, and examine the lessons learned.
“The INTEGRATE project represents a substantial undertaking, and I take great pride in our team’s dedication and performance over the years.
“Today’s agenda includes a review of the project objectives and outcomes, an analysis of the challenges encountered, and a discussion of the best practices and insights we have obtained.
“As we conclude this chapter, let us take pride in our achievements and carry forward the knowledge and experience we have acquired as a collective,” said Dr Taruberekera.
