The Ministers of Health and representatives of private sector from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries agreed to establish a health trust fund to sustain the response to AIDS, TB and Malaria. The agreement was made on 15 January in the side lines of the Joint Meeting of the SADC Ministers of Health and Ministers Responsible for HIV and AIDS in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

Participants of the first ever formal dialogue between SADC Ministers of health and the private sector agreed on a public-private health financing partnership anchored on four urgent actions:

1. Establishing a regional health trust fund before the World Health Assembly in May 2015;

2. Creating a public-private working group, which will meet semi-annually on the side-lines of the SADC Ministers of Health meetings to review and strengthen joint initiatives;

3. Developing an information exchange portal to improve knowledge and experience sharing between public and private sector

4. Strengthening employee health and wellbeing programmes in the private sector.

Participants appointed Professor Sheila Tlou, Director of UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa to lead the establishment of task team whose mandates include, creating the public-private trust fund and proposing innovative funding mechanisms.

» Media Statement: Ordinary Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers of Health and Ministers Responsible for HIV and AIDS