For Immediate Release: 4 March 2025
We, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working on health, human rights, and social justice, together with networks of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and those affected by HIV in Uganda, recognize and commend the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Health, Uganda AIDS Commission and other line ministries, for the ongoing commitment to improving healthcare access, equity, and quality. We also appreciate the role of legislators in ensuring budgetary allocations for the health and well-being of all Ugandans.
We further note the proposed integration of HIV & AIDS, malaria and TB services into routine outpatient and chronic disease care, a necessary step to mitigate the service gaps created by the termination of US-funded healthcare programmes. This integration, if effectively planned and resourced, could help sustain access to essential health services for Millions of People Living with and affected by HIV, pregnant mothers, children, and other vulnerable groups.
However, we express our deep concern over the severe impact of the abrupt cancellation and the freeze of US funding and the sudden termination of contracts with key implementing partners. These partners have long supplemented Uganda’s health budget and played a critical role in delivering life-saving services. The resulting service vacuum has and will put the lives of PLHIV, pregnant mothers, children, and other vulnerable populations at immediate risk.
Additionally, the unplanned phase-out of stand-alone HIV and TB clinics and ART facilities, without addressing systemic barriers to care, poses a serious threat to service quality, exacerbated stigma, retention in care, and Uganda’s overall progress in the HIV and TB, malaria and other diseases response.
Our Key Demands:
In light of these developments, we call upon the Government of Uganda to:
- Assess and share publicly the immediate and long-term impact of the US funding freeze and the termination of implementing partner support.
- Develop and share a clear road-map, with timelines and resources, outlining how the government will assume full responsibility for the health sector, with a particular focus on sustaining health services, strengthening community systems, towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC).
- Immediately establish an Emergency Task Force within the Uganda AIDS Commission, as previously agreed, to coordinate an effective and inclusive national response to the current crisis.
- Ensure the Ministry of Health prioritizes increased health sector financing in the forthcoming cabinet paper, to cover funding gaps and ensure continued access to life-saving HIV, TB, maternal, and child health services.
- We urge the government to expedite the establishment of a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for all Ugandans. As civil society organizations, we are fully committed to supporting the government in this process by providing technical expertise, mobilizing communities, and fostering multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure the successful implementation of the scheme.
- We urge the government to fast-track the finalization of the HIV Sustainability Roadmap to ensure long-term, sustainable financing and effective response to the HIV epidemic. Accelerating this process will strengthen Uganda’s commitment to ending HIV as a public health threat and enhance resource mobilization, efficiency, and accountability in HIV programming.
The health, dignity, and lives of millions of Ugandans hang in the balance, and we urge the Government to act swiftly, decisively, and transparently to avert a potential public health crisis. Uganda has made significant progress in combating the HIV epidemic; therefore, this is not the time to lose the gains we have tirelessly worked to sustain.
As civil society organisations, individuals and networks, stand ready to support the government in addressing these challenges and ensuring that no one is left behind in Uganda’s health response.
Contact for more information: Adella Mbabazi, +256 785756893
