Panic reigns, details remain sketchy over Donald Trump's freeze of HIV/AIDS support
US President Trump recently announced a freeze on the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, also known as PEPFAR.
US President Donald Trump. Picture: @WhiteHouse/X
Bongani Bingwa speaks to Mia Malan, Editor-in-chief at Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism.
Listen below:
Prejudice is behind US President Donald Trump's decision to freeze funding for Africa-based programs providing support to those living with HIV and AIDS.
That's according to Malan, who says many of the groups impacted by the 90-day freeze support gay and bisexual men and transgender people.
"Trump is saying, based on prejudice, we will just take away this support," says Malan.
Trump announced the freeze on the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, also known as PEPFAR, immediately following his inauguration.
Malan says there's a lot of panic among local organisations.
"No one knows what's going to happen."
- Mia Malan, Editor-in-chief - Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism
"There are clinics that have closed down across Africa because they received stop orders from the US government and now there's talk about a waiver."
- Mia Malan, Editor-in-chief - Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 'life-saving humanitarian assistance' would be exempt from the freeze.
"No one really knows what that means, because along with that waiver, there wasn't a list that said these ones qualify."
- Mia Malan, Editor-in-chief - Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism
Malan says that on Thursday there was talk that organisations would receive letters notifying them of their status under the freeze.
"But nothing has been said about it publically... HIV organisations assume that HIV medications are 'life-saving', but we just don't know."
- Mia Malan, Editor-in-chief - Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism
The Department of Health says US aid contributes about 17% to the country's HIV/AIDS campaign.
A number of the country's clinics have already started rolling back their operations in anticipation of the funding freeze.
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