Harare - The European Union (EU) on Wednesday extended a grant of $13 million to the government of Zimbabwe through the Health Transition Fund (HTF) to continue to improve maternal, neonatal and child health in the country.
The maternal mortality ratio in Zimbabwe decreased from 960 deaths of mothers per 100 000 live births in 2010/11 to 614 per 100 000 live births in 2014.
The Zimbabwe Health Transition Fund is a multi-donor pooled fund whose purpose is to improve maternal, new-born and child health.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the grant in Harare, Zimbabwe’s Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa commended the EU for the grant saying it will go a long way in strengthening the country’s health system.
Dr Parirenyatwa said the government of Zimbabwe would continue lobbying for more funds to be channelled to the health sector since 90 percent of the HTF was from donors.
“It is an absolute security risk always to depend on partners and donors. Government should prioritize health delivery system much more,” he said.
“We want a sustainable system, we hope you will not pull away, but we will continue as a government to lobby for much more recognition to be advanced to us,” he added.
Parirenyatwa said that the government has put together a taskforce to look at how the HTF funds are disbursed.
Speaking at the same event, EU head of delegation ambassador Phillippe Van Damme said Zimbabwe has for the first time in 20 years managed to reduce maternal deaths - proof that the country’s health system was recovering from its near collapse in 2008.
He said EU was committed to supporting Zimbabwe and had further allocated $85 million to the Health Development which should start operations in January 2016.
ANA