TANZANIA — U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) partners with Amref Africa Tanzania, has handed over a methadone dispensing machine, a Methameasure machine, to the Kidongo Chekundu MAT clinic hospital on the island of Zanzibar.

The partners donated the system to PEPFAR backed U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Afya Kamilifu project.

The donation was made to support the clinic’s efforts in providing medically assisted therapy (MAT) to people who inject drugs (PWID) and to reduce the risk of HIV transmission among this population.

Speaking during the handover, Dr. Florence Temu, Country Director at Amref Health Africa Tanzania, said, “This machine will increase the efficiency of work by accurately measuring the dose for patients and accelerating the distribution of medication. This will reduce patients waiting times and the need for additional human resources”.

The project aims to provide access to harm reduction services, including MAT and HIV testing and counseling.

Dr. Temu acknowledged, “We are grateful for the support of the U.S. CDC and the opportunity to continue to support our clinic, The machine will enhance the quality of MAT services for PWID by reducing waiting times, alleviating the burden on healthcare providers and accurately measuring methadone doses.”

The Methameasure machine implementation will positively impact the MAT clinic’s ability to provide effective treatment.

The machine’s accuracy in measuring the appropriate medication dose will help reduce the risk of complications and overdose for patients, ultimately contributing to the project’s overall goal of reducing HIV transmission, TB, and Hepatitis among people with living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH).

“Prior to the machine, long wait times for methadone and increased workload for human resources were common. Overall, the machine will help narrow the gap in access to quality healthcare services for PWID and aid in preventing HIV transmission in the community.” said The Minister of Health Hon. Nassor Ahmed Mazrui

The acting HIV Prevention Branch Chief U.S. CDC, Nyagonde Nyagonde said that the U.S government through PEPFAR and CDC would continue to support the Ministry of Health in Zanzibars’ effort to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to the key and vulnerable populations especially people who inject drugs.

“We remain committed to supporting the health and well-being of communities in the revolutionary of Zanzibar,” said Nyagonde.

PEPFAR in Tanzania to support HIV/AIDS program

Tanzania has so far received US$6.6 billion from the US government as part of the support for HIV programs in the past 20 years, according to a report on PEPFAR 20-year commemoration report in Tanzania.

PEPFAR funding is the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history.

Through its contribution, AIDS-related deaths in Tanzania have declined by 76 percent from 120,000 in 2003 to 29,000 in 2021.

Additionally, new infections have also declined by 58 percent from 130,000 to 54,000 during the same period.

Tanzania is estimated to have 1.7 million people who are infected with HIV, according to the Ministry of Health.

When the program started in 2003, less than 1,000 people were using the ARVs which were scarce in Tanzania and now PEPFAR supports more than 1.5 million people with life-saving ARV treatment.

For instance, PEPFAR’S Afya Kamilifu project is a five-year $50,000,000 initiative currently implemented in Tanga, Zanzibar, Simiyu, and now in Mara region and with the aim to scale up HIV care and treatment efforts, joining the global efforts to end AIDS epidemic by 2030.

The Afya Kamilifu Project targets are built on the PEPFAR and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS fast-track targets of 95-95-95 by 2030.

The 95-95-95 model implies that by 2030, 95% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, while 95% of people who know their status are on lifelong antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of people on treatment attain the desired viral suppression.

UNAIDS cautions there has been unequal progress in reducing new HIV infections, increasing access to treatment, and ending AIDS-related deaths, with too many vulnerable people and populations left behind.

Stigma and discrimination, together with other social inequalities and exclusion, are proving to be key barriers and our response to HIV/AIDS across the globe.

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