Zimbabwe: U.S. Disputes Zimbabwean Govt's Recent Account On $365 Million Health Deal

The United States Embassy in Harare has contradicted recent assertions by Information Minister Zhemu Soda regarding a $365 million health deal that Zimbabwe rejected. Soda informed Parliament that the U.S. government intended to gather private health data for medical research, which they were unsure would benefit Zimbabweans. The minister stated, "As the Government, we felt we could not put the lives of our people at risk because we did not know the intention."

In contrast, a spokesperson from the U.S. Embassy told NewZimbabwe.com that this description of the deal is inaccurate. The Embassy emphasized that Zimbabwe has long benefited from American medical research, including treatment and vaccines for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, laboratories, and outbreak response. Over the past decades, the U.S. has supplied most of Zimbabwe's antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and condoms through its President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program.

The U.S. Embassy spokesperson clarified that the recently criticized Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would have provided $365 million in crucial assistance over a five-year period for various health programs in Zimbabwe. The key conditions of the MOU included co-investment by the Zimbabwean government to ensure program sustainability, financial accountability and transparency to ensure the funds directly benefited the people and communities of Zimbabwe, and the sharing of specimens during outbreaks—a standard global practice to expedite solution development.

The spokesperson stressed that the claims suggesting the U.S. sought personal or private data from Zimbabweans are entirely false. They also refuted the notion that Zimbabweans would not have benefited from American medical research, pointing out the substantial evidence to the contrary. The PEPFAR program has been effectively implemented in 34 countries, garnering a total of $14.3 billion in health funding.

AllAfrica aggregates news reports from over 90 news organizations and more than 500 individual contributors, providing a diverse range of perspectives on global issues. Each report is published under the name of its respective publisher, who is solely responsible for the content they produce. AllAfrica does not have the legal authority to edit or correct the information presented. For comment or concerns, readers are directed to contact AllAfrica via their designated channels.