Uganda’s government has asked Parliament for Shs15bn ($3.7mn) in Uganda HIV funding to expand prevention messages, as a minister said new infections remain at 34,000 a year.
Milly Babalanda, the minister in the Office of the President, made the request on Thursday 12 November, according to a statement from the Parliament of Uganda. The Speaker referred it to a committee, saying the House did not yet know why the money was needed.
What would the Uganda HIV funding pay for?
Babalanda said the money would support the Uganda AIDS Commission in co-ordinating and expanding prevention messages nationwide. She called for more social and behavioural change work, “including abstinence and faithfulness”, to reach all population groups.
She listed stigma and discrimination, sexual and gender-based violence and limited use of technology to reach young people among the drivers of the epidemic.
What figures did the minister give?
“The complacency and new HIV infections are still unacceptably high at 34,000,” Babalanda said. Young women aged 15 to 24 account for 30 per cent of new infections, she added, while annual AIDS deaths have fallen 65 per cent. She did not give a base year, and the figures are the minister’s own.
What happens next to the Uganda HIV funding request?
Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth sent the statement to the committee on HIV/AIDS. “The committee will interrogate the request for the Shs15 billion because from here, we do not know why she wants the money,” he said. The dollar figure uses about 4,050 shillings to the dollar. A recent WHO report found gaps in Africa’s health data.
FAQ
How much Uganda HIV funding was requested?
Shs15bn, for the Uganda AIDS Commission’s prevention messaging.
Has Parliament approved the Uganda HIV funding?
No. The Speaker referred the request to the committee on HIV/AIDS for scrutiny.
How many new HIV infections does Uganda record?
The minister told MPs there are 34,000 new infections, most of them among young people.
