By Mike Sebalu
Uganda has pledged USD 3m to the Global Fund. The pledge was announced yesterday by Vice President, Jesica Alupo during the Global Fund’s seventh replenishment pledging conference convened by US President Joe Biden held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
“We recognise need to increase support for this Replenishment by at least 30%. I am pleased to announce Uganda’s pledge of USD 3M, an increase of 50% towards required investment,” Alupo said.
During the meeting, the Alupo emphasized Uganda’s continuous alignment with the Global Fund in a bid to end pandemics.
Over the years, the fund has made significant contributions towards Uganda’s efforts to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases in the country.
Approximately USD 2.3 billion in Grants from the fund has been given to Uganda to address key challenges in three areas of malaria, HIV/AIDS TB, and the recent COVID-19, as well as strengthening health systems.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that increased use of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) has seen effective change indicating that of the 1.4 million Ugandans with HIV/AIDS, over 95% are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 90% of them are virally suppressed.
The global fund in Uganda has also seen the reduction of mother-to-child HIV transmission rates from 18% in 2003 to less than 2% in 2021.
Alupo will later today present Uganda’s statement before the United Nations in New York.
