Intensify sensitisation of teenagers on HIV/Aids

What you need to know:

  • Uganda is grappling with the challenges of a largely youthful population amid limited resources.
  • The 2017/2018 Budget Framework Paper proposes a 5.7 per cent allocation towards financing the health sector.

Uganda is one of the countries pursuing the ambitious UNAIDS 90-90-90 global target: Ensuring that 90 per cent of all people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90 per cent of all people diagnosed with HIV infection receive sustained anti-retroviral therapy and 90 per cent of all people receiving anti-retroviral therapy have viral suppression by 2020. To achieve this ambitious target, we need concerted effort of all stakeholders, right from the donor community, through the private sector to the general public.
The considerable number of HIV/Aids infections occurring among adolescents is partly attributed to early onset of unprotected sex and multiple concurrent sexual partnerships coupled with substance abuse. Statistics from UNAIDS reveal that about 65,000 female adolescents (aged 10-19) live with HIV in Uganda compared to about 49,000 male adolescents. This trend must change if Uganda is to develop a quality population.

The 2014 HIV/Aids Uganda Country Progress Report decries the limited funding for comprehensive social and behavioural change communication despite low HIV/Aids comprehensive knowledge. The percentage of women aged 15-24 who correctly identify ways of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV and who reject major misconceptions about HIV transmission stands at only 35.7per cent. According to the National HIV/ Aids Strategic Plan 2015-2020, HIV care and treatment will account for 55 per cent of the resources, prevention interventions will account for 23 per cent while social support and system strengthening will account for four per cent and 18 per cent respectively. Clearly, government alone cannot meet this cost. That is why each of us must offer a helping hand by investing in programmes that address the sexual and reproductive health needs of the teenage girls, thereby addressing HIV/Aids infections among them. This will ensure that teenage girls contribute to the socio-economic development of our resource-limited country.
Already, Uganda is grappling with the challenges of a largely youthful population amid limited resources. This means that a lot of effort and resources need to be devoted towards meeting the basic necessities of the youthful population.

Many teenagers, like most economically incapacitated Ugandans, cannot easily access quality, consistent and timely preventive and curative healthcare. Therefore, some emphasis should be put on ensuring increased government expenditure on the health sector. This will guarantee a sizeable allocation of funds to addressing HIV-related challenges among teenage girls. The 2017/2018 Budget Framework Paper proposes a 5.7 per cent allocation towards financing the health sector. This is lower than the 8.9 per cent which was allocated to the sector in the 2016/2017 national budget.
Anthony Bugembe,
[email protected]