We will not cut funding to health sector, says US envoy

Officials at the United States Embassy in Kampala have said their government would continue to support Uganda’s health sector even as they prepare the country to “graduate” from relying on donations.
 
This is coming amid recent reports that the US government and other development partners were planning to cut funding to Uganda because of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023, and donor fatigue. 
Mr William W Popp, the US Ambassador to Uganda, told journalists in Kampala yesterday that they are monitoring the “sustainability” of their support to Uganda and other countries. 

READ: US targets Aids cash cut over anti-gay law
 
“We want partner countries to make progress to graduate from assistance. But it is clear that the assistance we have provided over the years has been sustained and continuous in terms of levels and we have managed to achieve results with the support,” he said.
Mr Popp added that they give “close to $550 million (about Shs2 trillion)” to Uganda’s health sector every year through their mission in Uganda. 

“That doesn’t capture assistance and support that we provide through multi-lateral organisations such as Gavi on vaccine, and Global Fund for HIV,” he said. 
Specifically, on the fears that the US would cut funding for the HIV and malaria fight, some of the diseases topping public health concerns in the country, the officials at the embassy said they won’t be affected. 

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director in Uganda, Ms Daniele Nyirandutiye, said there would be no interruptions in funding for malaria, a disease that kills around 10,000 Ugandans annually.  She said funding to Uganda has rather been increased in the past years.  

“Since 2006, the US government has invested over $549 million (about Shs2 trillion) here in Uganda and last year alone, we invested $34 million (about Shs129 billion). The funding has been steady and has increased over the years and that is why we have managed to protect 3.4 million people from malaria through providing mosquito nets and indoor residual sprays, among others. Uganda is one of the few countries that have seen an increase [in funding],” she said. 

Ms Nyirandutiye also said the country should be consistent in employing the interventions because they have proven to work in reducing the burden of the disease. 
In April this year, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Thomas Tayebwa, said the country should move away from donor-dependence. He asked the Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, to present a strategy for eradicating malaria to the Parliament. 

“To achieve our goals for socio-economic transformation, we must eradicate malaria. I am pleased to see that Shs25 billion has been allocated for test kits in the upcoming Financial Year, but we need to do more as the donors, who have been providing 95 percent of our malaria fighting budget, have informed us in advance of their intention to withdraw their support,” he said. 
There are around 1.4 million Ugandans living with HIV, according to Uganda government figures.  
Regarding their support to the fight against HIV, a disease that kills around 17,000 Ugandans annually, Mr Popp said: “While we did a careful examination of our programming following the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, we proceeded with our country operating plan and we have continued to fund all our activities.”

“We did redirect some funding away from some institutions and organisations and we have continued to maintain all services and activities funded. Even in the coming year, we shall continue to do so,” he added without revealing the specific names of affected institutions. 

The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Country Coordinator, Ms Mary Borgman,  said: “Overall budget for PEPFAR did not reduce, but there was an impact on specifically the government-to-government funding.”

She added: “So, we have government-to-government funding with governmental institutions that were reviewed, and some of that funding shifted. So it wasn’t a reduction from the overall budget, but it was a shift within that. So that’s related also to this broader concern about closing civic space, the ability of civil society organisations to continue to do their work as well.” 
 
Mr Popp on the other hand explained that they have emphasised to Uganda that all programmes supported by the US government “should be implemented in a way that is non-discriminatory”.

Slight decline in HIV funding 

Ms Borgman also revealed that funding for the HIV fight has slightly declined for all countries receiving the support. 

She said support to Uganda for buying Anti-retroviral drugs and other related interventions, has declined from $400 million (Shs1.5 trillion) to $ 388 million (Shs1.48 trillion). 

“Over the past five years, the PEPFAR funding [to Uganda] has consistently been over $400 million annually. And so that funding has gone up and it has varied a bit over the five years, but it’s consistently over $400 million. For this fiscal year, we’re at $388 million. So it has reduced a bit. It’s not specific to Uganda. It’s related to the entire global PEPFAR budget,” she said.

“So in order to be fiscally responsible and responsive to the appropriation environment that we have within the U.S., we chose, I should say Global Health Security and Diplomacy Bureau, which coordinates PEPFAR globally, chose to shift some of those budgets. And so this year, we’re implementing a budget of $388 million. Again, that’s related to the global appropriation environment and not to Uganda specifically,” she added.