Louise Mushikiwabo in Canada for Global Fund conference (Photo/Archive).
Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo is in Montreal, Canada where she will lure Global Fund leaders to channel more funds to support the country’s fight against Aids and other diseases.
The Foreign Minister joins all Global Fund partners, Governmental leaders and health decision makers in a conference aimed at mobilizing more efforts to bring an end to AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria by 2030.
The two-day high-level conference which started today gathers over 500 delegates. The Fifth Global Fund Replenishment seeks to raise $13 billion to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the next three years.
Meanwhile, Rwanda has been hailed for achieving its millennium development goals (MDGs) targets in the health sector- thanks to Global funds support.
Since 2003, Global fund has offered a grant to Rwanda worth $900 million (Rwf724 billion) in support of health initiatives in the country.
According to available statistics, as the MDGs came to an end last year, Rwanda had reduced infant mortality rates 28 deaths per 1000 births down from 107 deaths per every 1000 births in 2000.
On combating HIV/Aids, malaria and other killer diseases, the country reduced prevalence rates for HIV from 13 percent in 2000 to 3 percent in 2011 and malaria related deaths declined to 7.6 percent of 100, 000 deaths, closer to 5.1 percent target.
At least 69.6 percent of Rwanda children under five years slept in treated-mosquito nets in 2011, up from 5.0 percent in 2000.
According to 2014 report by Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), voluntary and counselling centers rose to nearly 500 up from 44 in 2003.
The move has currently seen over 3.8 million people go for voluntary HIV/AIDS testing, up from 2500 in 2003.
The antiretroviral therapy sites were increased to 465 from 16 and 95.5 per cent of HIV-positive patients are under therapy.
As for tuberculosis, Global Fund’s financial support played a key role in successful treatment of tuberculosis from 77 per cent of patients to nearly 90 per cent and the capacity of District health facilities were built.
Between 2002 and 2012 malaria infection dropped by 74 per cent thanks to insecticide-treated mosquito nets and malaria-related deaths went down by 68 per cent during that period.
The Fifth Global Fund Replenishment seeks to raise $13 billion for the next three years to fight the world deadliest diseases: HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Canada has already pledged $1.03 billion to the Global Fund while Germany and Benin contributed €800 million and $2 million respectively, with funds to be provided in the next three years.
With availability of these funds, additional eight million people will be saved from AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, while 300 million new infections will be averted by 2019, Global Fund says.
Globally, Global Fund takes care of 9.2 million people on antiretroviral drugs, 15.1 million people on TB treatment and 659 million people provided with treated-mosquito nets to prevent malaria infections.
Among other high level delegates attending the conference along Minister Mushikiwabo include UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, President Macky Sall of Senegal, Bill Gates- American billionaire and philanthropist, among others.