November 10, 2015 - Civil society organizations (CSOs) under their umbrella organization the National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Network in Uganda (NAFOPHANU) have launched a campaign to challenge the government to ensure that the country does not run out of essentials drugs.
During a press conference held at the PATH offices in Kololo, the Chief of
Party USAID, Moses Dombo, explained that the campaign is aimed at
requiring the government to consider doubling the annual budget for
HIV/AIDS and TB drugs.
The campaign is dubbed Drug Stock-Out
Kills! Stop it
CSOs want the government to double
its funding commitment for HIV/AIDS and TB drugs from the current sh90bn
to sh180bn to grant universal access to treatment to all people in need of
antiretroviral therapy and TB.
According to Ministry of Health
officials at the Quantification and Procurement Planning Unit, up to
229,000 patients who are supposed to be on treatment are missing out on
the life-saving drugs because of shortage of funding.
The
health official who preferred anonymity said that this year, sh84bn was
allocated for HIV medicines; sh10bn for malaria and sh6bn for TB.
Of
the 600,000 patients who get their treatment from public health
facilities, money from government can only support 150,000, the official
said.
The CSOs also want government to put mechanisms in place
that will ensure timely release and efficient use of these funds.
Dombo
said: "There is need for proper distribution of drugs at avoid
overstocking health facilities while others suffer under stocks or
complete stock outs."
"We want the current sh90bn which
has been the stipend for nearly half a decade, increased to sh180bn to
avert the current HIV/AIDS and TB drug shortage," Dombo told the press at
the PATH offices in Kampala on Monday.
Dombo said that funding
for HIV/AIDS and TB drugs in the country currently comes from government,
the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global
Fund.
The executive director PATH, Emmanuel Mugisha, revealed
that development partners say that they would like to see government
commit more funds to avert the crisis of HIV/AIDS and TB stock outs.
"It
is time to increase domestic finance targeting HIV/AIDS and TB treatment.
President Museveni has already indicated in his campaign manifesto that he
will prioritize health in his next tenure of office. We want him to
fulfill his promise and give more funds to HIV/AIDS and TB," Mugisha
said.
One of the patients, Proscovia Nanyanzi, whose
combination has been changed said, "I have been on HIV/AIDS treatment
since 2003. I access my treatment from a government facility in
Kampala.
"Stock outs of HIV/AIDS drugs have interrupted my
treatment. I have been switched from one treatment to another. I was on
Abacavir and Tenofir.
But recently I was switched to a new
combination. It has a lot of side effects," reveals.
The
executive director NAFOPHANU, Stella Kentutsi, confirmed that since
December there have been periodic stock outs of HIV/AIDS and TB drugs.
Moroto for example has not had TB dugs for the last three months.
Source:
New Vision