Govt asked to scale up funding for HIV support

What you need to know:

  • The head of country coordinating mechanism for Global Fund in Uganda, Mr Tonnie Luyimbazi, said the fight against HIV/Aids in the next five to 10 years should largely be funded by the government since donors are in transition

Stakeholders in the fight against HIV/Aids have urged the government to increase funding for HIV/Aids support.

The head of country coordinating mechanism for Global Fund in Uganda, Mr Tonnie Luyimbazi, said the fight against HIV/Aids in the next five to 10 years should largely be funded by the government since donors are in transition.

 Mr Luyimbazi made the remarks during the inauguration of an inter-ministerial technical working group on implementation of the National Policy on HIV/Aids at the Gender ministry on Wednesday.

Uganda AIDS Commission indicates that the government contributes only 12 percent towards HIV/Aids programmes leaving the rest to donors and the private sector.

Mr Luyimbazi noted that although the government has tried to increase funds from$2m (Shs7.5b) to $3m (Shs11.3b) for the next cycle starting in 2024, there is still a need for increased local contribution and domestic support towards the fight against the scourge.

Measures

However, the coordinator for Public Sector at Uganda AIDS Commission, Mr Tom Etii, said the country has put in place four strategies to raise resources for HIV/Aids responses following the dwindling of development partners.

Mr Etii revealed that the measures include the establishment of the HIV/Aids Prevention and Control Act 2014 that will allow the establishment of an Aids Trust Fund.

“As a country, Parliament has already approved the HIV/Aids regulations and there is an ongoing discussion of the establishment of the trust fund,”Mr Etii said.

He revealed that the funds will be used for the testing and the procurement of ARVS.

Mr Etii said the second strategy is the HIV/Aids mainstreaming guidelines, which were launched by President Museveni in 2018, to allow Ministries, Departments and Agencies to allocate 0.1 percent of their budget to HIV/Aids response.

He added that there is also engagement of the private sector in a One Dollar Initiative where partners will contribute 0.1 percent funding to HIV/Aids programmes.


Sensitisation

The State minister for Labour, Empowerment and Industrial Relations, Col Charles Engola Okello, said the ministry has established a technical working team in prevention and control of HIV/Aids in the world of work and will oversee the implementation of National Policy on HIV-Aids and the world of work 2007.

He added that the team will educate and sensitise aboout HIV/Aids at work places to break stigmatisation and discrimination of people living with HIV/Aids.