Collaboration key to HIV, Aids fight—Mutharika
First Lady Gertrude Mutharika on Tuesday said collaboration across sectors and shared use of resources will help combat HIV and Aids.
She made the remarks at the HIV and Aids gathering of spouses of heads of State and government held on the sidelines of the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit (Focac) in Beijing, China.
Mutharika said Malawi is benefitting from the friendship between China and Malawi in various sectors, including health.
She said: “It is for this reason that we in Malawi would like to commend our Chinese counterparts for creating a platform for enhancing the partnership and collaboration in the fight against Aids.”
Mutharika said the University of Peking in China established a partnership with Malawian institutions through its Department of Public Health and the African nation stands to benefit significantly from Chinese professionals.
She added that Malawian health workers would also continue to receive training in China.
“This will help reduce the patient-to-doctor ratio which has been high for some time in our country,” she said.
Speaking earlier when she opened the meeting whose theme was China and Africa: Join Hands for a Future Free of Aids, Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan said combating HIV and Aids is a global priority.
She said: “We have old friends and new partners gathered here because we have a shared goal— join hands to fight HIV and Aids”.
In her remarks, South African first lady Tshepo Motsepe said it is important to focus efforts and resources on HIV prevention.
