…as the US pours M4.2 billion into Lesotho’s health system
…signs a 5-year MoU committing to building the sector
Moroke Sekoboto
THE United States government has renewed its commitment to strengthening Lesotho’s health sector by investing over US$364 million (about M6.2 billion) in health delivery services.
The investment was announced yesterday at Mpilo Botique Hotel during the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Lesotho — designed to advance the American First Global Health Strategy.
Launched in September this year, the America First Global Health Strategy aims to enhance the US leadership in global health while prioritizing American safety, economic resilience and international partnerships.
The two governments signed a five-year, USD$364 million bilateral health MoU. Through this agreement, the State Department, working with Congress, intends to provide up to US$232 million (M3.9 billion) over the next five years to support Lesotho’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, while bolstering the health workforce, data systems, and disease surveillance and outbreak response. As part of the MOU, the Government of Lesotho intends to invest US$132 million (M2.2 billion) in its domestic HIV/AIDS response. From internet connectivity for health clinics to advanced robotics delivery of life-saving medical products, the US$364 million MoU opens the door to innovations that mutually advance health care and the local economy.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Thomas Hines, said the MoU will serve as a blueprint for the next five years of partnership, describing it as a joint commitment to building “a resilient, self-reliant and endurable health system for the Basotho people”.
He said the cooperation builds on 18 years of US assistance, which has saved hundreds of thousands of lives while significantly strengthening health systems across the country.
“Today, we take a historic step forward. The Government of Lesotho is committing to co-invest in health commodities, laboratory systems, and the healthcare workforce. Over the next five years, Lesotho will take over funding for the frontline health workers, ensuring the progress is sustainable and owned by the Basotho people. This will be a shared task; we will work together to build the capacity to make this a success.”
He stated that the MoU also ensures that investments are protected and effective. Mr Hines underscored the importance of accountability, indicating that there are robust added mechanisms so that every dollar is accounted for, every outcome is measured, and every lesson is learned.
“This transparency is a promise to both of our nations that we will deliver the results. Let us not forget the broader vision: this agreement is a model of a partnership, working together as equals to foster innovation and promote self-reliance.
“Lesotho has an opportunity to provide a more prosperous future for its people, but also to set an example in the region and across the world. So today, we are not just signing an agreement, we are making a commitment to each other and to future generations. We are saying that the health of Basotho matters, that partnerships matter, and that together we can achieve what neither of us can do alone.”
Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Dr Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane, said the MoU marks not only a deepening of cooperation between the two countries, but also a renewed commitment to the health of the Basotho people.
Dr Matlanyane said the MoU symbolises a partnership based on trust and a shared belief that sustainable development is best achieved when nations work together.
She highlighted that they have a long-term relationship with the US, and that when policy changes came, they “scared Lesotho to the core” but today they are celebrating the comeback of their friends.
“The MOU will play a crucial role in advancing key priorities of our health sector, our human capital development agenda, and in enabling us to invest in this sector that has a direct impact on the lives of Basotho, our human capital, and enabling the realisation of key targets concerning control of spread and treatment of communicable diseases.
“I express sincere gratitude and appreciation to the US for its continued partnership . . . Over the past years, Lesotho and the US have collaborated on many things, but this particular one hits right at the centre of the people who may have contracted the disease not on purpose,” Dr Matlanyane said.
She said the US has supported Lesotho through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). With this support, she said, they recognise that the United States Global Health support over the past 18 years has saved over 300,000 Basotho lives and strengthened Lesotho’s health system.
“We hope for better accountability, as this MoU embodies that we will find credibility measures. We are going to ensure that the assistance goes to where it is needed,” Dr Matlanyane said.
For his part, Minister of Health Selibe Mochoboroane, said this is a transformative MoU that outlines and strengthens the partnership, collaboration in the health system, and their joint efforts to combat the HIV and TB pandemics. Mr Mochoboroane said the agreement is a testament to a partnership that has, for nearly two decades, saved over 280,000 Basotho lives.
“We thank the American people and the Government of the United States of America, and our steadfast allies at the Global Fund, World Health Organisation (WHO), and across the United Nations family for their continued support towards saving lives within our health sector.
“Today, we solidify our shared vision for a resilient health system in Lesotho. This MOU strategically invests in our core systems. We commit jointly to a world-class disease surveillance and outbreak-response system, protecting our people and contributing to global health security,” Mr Mochoboroane said.
