Speaking at the launch of the SafAIDS regional summit held at the Rainbow Towers in Harare, Madzorera said: “Africa has enough resources to cater for the needs of its people. The problem is, we tend to focus on trivial aspects. There is a need to shift the focus and concentrate on good governance”.
The minister also said leaders should be good stewards of the country’s natural resources and address the social determinants of health. “There is a need to deal with poverty, lack of basic education and poor social services to ensure that no-one will engage in risky behaviour that compromises their health,” Madzorera said. “Most of our leaders spend valuable time and energy playing the victim. Africa should industrialize and realize returns. For example, if good quality generic medicines were manufactured in our country, this would enable us to create a lot of jobs to curb the current high unemployment rate.”
Speaking at the same function, Gender Links Chief Executive Officer, Colleen Lowe Morna, said political will was essential if any meaningful development was to occur in the fight against HIV.
“Political will is essential for change. We need to address poverty because it has a female face – it impacts women more,” said Morna.
The Executive Director of SafAIDS, Lois Chingandu, said addressing harmful cultural practices was an important aspect in the fight against HIV. “Africans should not shun their dynamic cultures, but should adjust and do away with harmful cultural practices that fuel the spread of HIV,” said Chingandu. “Practices such as widow inheritance are not a problem, but they become a problem when the parties involved are ignorant of their HIV status.”
Post published in: News