Luanda - The Minister of Health, Sílvia Lutucuta, reiterated on Monday in Luanda the commitment of the Angolan Government to end HIV/AIDS as a public health problem by 2030, with the implementation of aligned and integrated strategies with all sectors.
According to the Minister, who was speaking at the central act of World AIDS Day (December 1), marked on Sunday, the Government will have development partners, specifically traditional authorities, religious and civil society that will efficiently carry out the work of protecting and improving the health of Angolans.
For her, stigma, discrimination and unfavourable social contexts continue to be the biggest barrier to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
She acknowledged that despite the achievements and continuous efforts, there is still much to do to achieve the commitment to treat 95% of people diagnosed and to have the same number of patients on treatment with an undetectable viral load.
Sílvia Lutucuta said that health is interconnected with other essential issues such as the reduction of inequalities, the guarantee of human rights, gender equality, social protection, development and income distribution.
For her, economic, cultural and legal inequalities must not exist if we want to end AIDS by 2030.
'We therefore count on the support of the deputies, the representatives of the people, because we need to increasingly strengthen multisectoral involvement to guarantee access to primary health care, for people living with HIV, especially in the communities, responding to the needs of our populations,' she said.
She spoke of the need to strengthen community awareness in the fight against HIV, advocating greater involvement of community leaders in the prevention of the disease.
On the occasion, the UN AIDS representative, Hege Wagan, said that Angola needs a sustainable approach and a resilient health system that includes community health.
She highlighted the need for the State to prioritize and seek innovative solutions and robust budgets for primary, sexual and reproductive health, as well as HIV.
The UN representative said that this year, about 1.3 million people were infected with the disease, 60 percent less than 3.3 million in the 1990s.
More than 30 million people have been on treatment since 2023, compared to 10 years ago, which was 13 million, there was an increase of around 240%, she warned.
'We had fewer AIDS-related deaths in 2023, compared to 20 years ago. Now we are seeing 630,000 deaths, compared to 2.1 million, which is a reduction of 70%', she updated.
In this context, she pointed out that the progress made today in the response to HIV/AIDS worldwide has also been driven by advances in the protection of human rights.
The National Assembly hosted the central event of World AIDS Day, as part of the celebrations of Red December, a month dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.
The event, led by the Speaker of the Parliament, Carolina Cerqueira, was attended by government authorities, representatives of civil society organizations and health professionals, as well as international organizations.
World AIDS Day is celebrated annually on December 1st. Its objective is to raise awareness and support those who suffer from this disease and pay homage to those who died infected.
The creation of this day was an initiative of James Bunn and Thomas Netter, two officials from the World Health Organization's (WHO) World AIDS Programme.
The idea gained supporters inside and outside the WHO, and its implementation was recognized through Resolution 43/15 of the UN General Assembly in 1988.
Society is called to intervene, to ensure that the AIDS problem remains on the political agenda and that fundamental human rights are respected. CPM/OHA/DOJ
