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UPDATED: 16 Jan 2008 GMT
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Speeches

World AIDS Day and VCT Center of Excellence Launch

Venue: Mnazi Moja Hospital, Zanzibar

December 1, 2007

Remarks by Deputy Chief of Mission D. Purnell Delly

 

  • Your Excellency President Karume;
  • Honorable Ministers and Permanent Secretaries;
  • Members of the community;
  • Ladies and Gentlemen:

    Asalam Aleykum! I am very pleased to be here with you today on this important, historic occasion commemorating the global commitment to fight against HIV and AIDS and to reflect on the lives of those who have been impacted by the virus.

    Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Government is proud to be a partner with the Tanzanian Government in the fight against HIV and delighted to be here for the launch of this exceptional Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center of Excellence.

    We all know that HIV/AIDS is a serious health issue throughout the globe as it is here in Zanzibar. An estimated 10,000 persons—women and men, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers—are infected with HIV.

    Although the percent of the population that is infected on Zanzibar is lower than in many other places, we all must mobilize to contain the further spread of this virus. It is therefore, essential to support effective and evidence-based prevention strategies including interventions that are targeted for most at risk populations, including injection drug users, and counseling and testing services.

    Since 2004, the United States Government, through agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been working with Zanzibar’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Zanzibar AIDS Control Program, Zanzibar AIDS Commission, and other key partners to support efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

    PEPFAR activities in Zanzibar provide opportunities to dramatically expand HIV/AIDS care and treatment as well as providing much needed financial and technical resources to further the reach of HIV prevention and systems-strengthening programs. Specifically, the focus is to support the development of sustainable national HIV/AIDS plan, renovate and equip health facilities, train service providers, and upgrade laboratory services.

    For example, PEFPAR has supported:

  • Nine Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission sites reaching over 17,000 pregnant women with counselling testing and training for over 200 health workers;
  • Four Care and Treatment Centers, which have provided life-saving medication to more than 1,000 patients living with HIV/AIDS; and
  • The HIV/AIDS laboratory within Mnazi Moja Hospital was renovated and equipped, and laboratory staff have received critical training;
  • The Zanzibar Blood Center was constructed and began operation after the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, our American Health Minister, opened it in August during his visit to Zanzibar; and
  • Thirty Voluntary Counselling and Testing sites, which have tested over 25,000 clients this year. This is a dramatic, exponential increase from 1,500 clients tested in 2001.

    Today’s opening of this Voluntary Counselling and Testing Center of Excellence marks the latest success of the Zanzibar Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Zanzibar AIDS Control Program, PEPFAR and many other partners. The Center will be instrumental in providing reliable, universally accessible counselling and testing services for all Zanzibaris.

    In addition to striving to promote universal access, the quality that makes this beautiful structure a true “center of excellence” is the commitment to comprehensive service delivery. I commend the ministry on the vision to combine prevention, counseling and testing, care and treatment, psycho-social and spiritual support services into a single facility. This integrated service delivery is an innovation that represents the best kind of quality HIV counseling and testing available.

    I would especially like to commend the involvement of the Mnazi Mmoja Interfaith Networking Model. Members of this interfaith committee are trained on voluntary counseling and testing, home-based care, and are able to provide information, education and communication to raise community awareness and demand for HIV / AIDS services. Your initiative will ensure members of your community may avoid contracting this avoidable disease.

    I congratulate the Ministry of Health for its vision of providing individualized

    The U.S. Government is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Zanzibar in the fight against HIV and, on behalf of the American people, I would like to reiterate my nation's commitment to support this imperative public health initiative. The U.S. Government will continue to work collaboratively with the Tanzanian government and our development partners to support and establish the necessary elements for sustainable programs so that one day World AIDS Day will commemorate our victory over HIV and AIDS in Zanzibar and throughout the world!

    Asenteni sana! counseling and testing services for youth, the disabled and populations at great risk for HIV. The Ministry’s support of capacity building and quality assurance has been exemplary. In close coordination with the U.S. Government's treatment partners, improved referral systems will be developed as providers in this new facility will help identify individuals qualifying for treatment and will also help identify high risk groups for whom testing is crucial. This VCT gold standard facility will also support the training of service providers, pilot innovations and implement best practices.

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