Luanda — The Bill on the Comprehensive Response to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was approved in general on Friday in Luanda by the Members of the National Assembly.

The bill, initiated by the Angolan Executive, establishes mechanisms for prevention, protection, treatment and accountability, aligned with the international principles of confidentiality, equal access and human dignity.

The proposal received 178 votes from parliamentarians during the 7th ordinary plenary meeting of the 4th legislative session of the V legislature, chaired by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Adão de Almeida.

According to the Secretary of State for Health for the Hospital Area, Leonardo Inocêncio, the bill responds not only to a health need, but also to a social and economic one.

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Accordingly, the official pointed to stigma as one of the main barriers in the fight against HIV, keeping citizens away from health services and compromising the control of the disease.

According to the official, Angola is making significant progress, with 79 percent access to treatment, but maintains its goal of reaching international standards of 95 percent in diagnosis, treatment, and viral suppression.

He also pointed to the reduction in vertical transmission (from mother to child), from 26 percent to 14 percent, as one of the relevant advances.

The proposed law seeks an integrated response to HIV, promoting an approach centered on fundamental rights, universal access to care, and the expansion of the health network, especially at the primary level, and reinforces the Angolan State's commitment to public health, human rights, and the fight against discrimination. MGM/OHA/DOJ