CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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Uganda |
AIDS
Western donors are scaling down direct assistance to Uganda in its fight against AIDS.
Since 1982, it is estimated that more than 900,000 people
have died from AIDS in the countryThe World Bank had originally agreed to release $80 million for Uganda’s five-year national programme to fight against AIDS. According to the 2002 Human Development Indicators Report released in mid-November 2002 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), this has now been reduced to $47.5 million. The reason given is that such extensive help is no longer necessary. There is a feeling among development partners that funding for the fight against HIV/AIDS in Uganda is already sufficient and there is no justification for the World Bank to give $80 million.
The amount of money released in previous years has been declining. Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) statistics show that donor disbursements peaked in 1997-1998. Since then, the amounts have been diminishing, down to the 2000-2001 figure of $21.7 million. Major donors include USAID and the World Bank among others.
Ugandan government officials give as reason for the decline in funding, the fact that AIDS is no longer regarded as a separate issue, rather, it has been integrated into government programmes such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy and the Nutrition Development Programmes.
There is also a view that Uganda’s AIDS programme has achieved positive results including raising awareness, changing society, providing free treatment for Sexually Transmitted Diseases and increasing the use of condoms. According to Health Minister Jim Muhweze, the AIDS infection rate has dropped from 30% in 1990 to the present 6.5%.
Challenges remain
UAC estimates of new AIDS patients show that in 1999 112,000 were recorded as having been admitted to hospital, but this figure dropped to 99,031 in 2001. Nevertheless, despite the success of the AIDS programme, challenges remain. The ongoing conflict in northern Uganda and the consequent insecurity due to armed conflicts, may reverse the gains. The fact is, rape is increasingly used as an instrument of war and subjugation, and is made worse by the high infection rate of AIDS among rebels and government soldiers. UNICEF and government officials say that 90% of the children rescued from Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels have the virus that causes AIDS.
Those areas within Uganda deemed to be «insecure» have been largely excluded from the AIDS programmes. The UNDP report notes: «During most of the 1990s, some northern districts were left out from donor-funded programmes. Additionally, civil strife has shown to be a major vehicle for the spread of AIDS».
Costs to the economy because of AIDS are increasingly evident. AIDS has escalated the nation’s medical bill and has caused the health sector to be overstretched. The World Bank says that the incidence of AIDS has pushed demands for other drugs from $1.4 million in 1991 to $2.5 million by 1999.
Damage to the education sector and to the civil service is apparent. Any number of teachers have fallen victim to the virus that causes AIDS, and productivity in the civil service has fallen dramatically. According to UNDP: «Though the retirement age of civil servants is 60 years, the overall age of employees suspected of having died from AIDS is 37.5 years (women victims dying at 33 and men at 39)». Government statistics indicate that the infection rate in the police force is 13% of the total effective and in the army — 10%. Thus, there are disturbing implications for national security.