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HEPS LAUNCHES UGANDA HIV/AIDS FUNDING REPORT
Reveals big
gaps in funding HIV/AIDS activities.
Despite
a lot of donor funds flowing into the country
works towards scaling up its interventions to improve
accessibility to HIV/AIDS treatment and other
Interventions. It is of great concern however, that as
more and more resources are channeled into the fight
against HIV/AIDS, the impact of such resources are not
visible because value for money is not yet visible.
Health spending is largely still shouldered privately
since the government contributes only USD 5 out of the
USD 14 per capita spent on healthcare. The government’s
commitment to funding the HIV/AIDS fight needs to be
evaluated basing among other factors, on reducing
inequalities in accessing treatment, long periods of
medicine stock-out and having a clear strategy for long
term sustainability for funding.
The
study entitled “Funding the
Promise; Monitoring Uganda’s Health Sector Financing
from an HIV/AIDS Perspective,” was commissioned
Last year by HEPS Uganda, with support from Action Aid
International Uganda with the objective to establish the
level of government commitment in meeting its Obligation
of ensuring access to healthcare for all, assessing the
degree of prioritization accorded to different
components of HIV/AIDS interventions and to establish
whether HIV/AIDS resources reach people who need them
most.
The
study findings
of the report show
that access to basic health services in the country is
still low; drug supply at the health facilities has
remained inadequate compared to the demand. Although
half of the PHC funds are allocated for drugs, it is not
enough. Uganda has a big financial gap in the health
sector. It is estimated that the immediate shortfall is
about Ug. Shs 200 billion (US$110 million). Further, the
infrastructure, both physical and human, is still
lacking. Evidence from the districts visited reveals
that there is no contribution from district budgets for
HIV/AIDS activities.
The
commonly cited reason is lack of revenue following the
abolition of graduated tax (G.tax). Consequently, the
health sector entirely depends on public health care (PHC)
funds from the centre and donor support. Since districts
operate balanced budgets allocations for drugs and other
requirements are made by ,simply apportioning available
funds. Although with the pull system districts have an
opportunity to demand for what they want , the money
they get is inadequate for all their needs. this
is made worse by the delays in the delivery of drugs by
National Medical Stores (NMS) , worsening the stock -out
problem. Out of an estimated 1.1 million people living
with HIV/AIDS in Uganda, about 150,000, are in need of
anti-retroviral treatment (ART), but only about 67,000
were being served by the end of fiscal year 2004/5.
Precisely, about 83,000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PHAS)
in urgent need of ARVs are not accessing them.
We at HEPS
believe that health and other resources should reach the
intended beneficiaries and should be evidenced and
reflected by reality at grass root level. We therefore
recommend.
•
There is
need for greater commitment of public funds to health
and HIV/AIDS services, in particular as an essential
ingredient to the longevity of scaled –up Programmes,
especially treatment.
•
Government
and all stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS
should dialogue on ways to ensure uninterrupted access
to ARVS and other drugs for treating opportunistic
infections (OIs).
•
Advocacy is
required to build about reforms so that districts change
from operating
a balanced
budget with inadequate resources and ensure greater
transparency in allocations, for and actual spending on
, HIV/AIDS.
•
Given that
external funding agencies open and close their projects,
central and local Governments and civil society actors
need to work in close partnership, to identify ways of
sustaining major support initiatives in order to ensure
health for all.
The report was officially
launched on 19th Sept 2006 by the Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Health during the National social
forum at Namboole stadium.
HealthFinancing Report
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