Harare, 02 March 2010-(The Herald)- The Zimbabwean Government intends to provide 250 000 State patients with anti-retroviral therapy by year-end with a view to increasing the figure to 350 000 by 2012.

Besides the more than 200 000 patients receiving anti-retrovirals through the State scheme, many thousands more buy their own or receive them as part of their medical aid package.

Private patients pay just under US$50 a month for the medicine.

The target for the State scheme will rise if Zimbabwe’s economy continues to recover and donors and international partners intensify the fight against the pandemic.

Last year, Zimbabwe surpassed its target of 210 000 people on the Government ART scheme by 6 000.

Responding to questions from stakeholders on the progress of the ART programme last Thursday, head of the HIV and TB Unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Owen Mugurungi, said 5 500 new patients were being added every month.

"In total, Zimbabwe managed to initiate over 60 000 patients on ARV drugs last year of which, a total of 20 000 were children.

"Of the patients, 99 percent are on first-line drugs with the remainder on second-line drugs.

"This is good considering that the regional average of people on second-line drugs ranges between two and three percent," he said.

Dr Mugurungi said since the start of the programme, Zimbabwe had put 246 000 people on the drugs, with about 30 000 either dying or leaving the country.

"We are likely to revise the figure upwards owing to the increase in inflows from the AIDS Levy and the new guidelines that say anyone with a CD4 count of 300 and below should be initiated on ARVs.

"More resources are needed to put more pregnant women on drugs under the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission programme," he said.

Dr Agnes Mahomva of the Elizabeth Glazier Peadritic AIDS Foundation said the majority of new AIDS infection could be stopped by managing mother-to-child transmission.

The National AIDS Council collected US$5,1 million last year through the AIDS Levy against a projection of US$5 million. The money, however, still falls short of national requirements.

A recent NAC National AIDS Spending Assessment report by NAC revealed that although Zimbabwe was among the top five nations in the region requiring assistance, it got only US$7,08 per capita against an average US$16 given to other countries.

The month of December had the largest amount of collections with US$1, 47 million against a projection of US$675 000.

Annual contribution of the National AIDS Levy was 35 percent of the total NAC inflows for 2009.

Online at: http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=16035&cat=1