RUKUNGIRI – The Uganda government needs Ugx980b (about $260,493,800) annually, in taking care of people living with HIV, an official of the Uganda Aids Commission has disclosed.
Dr Nelson Musoba – the Director General of the Uganda AIDS Commission revealed on Thursday that each HIV victim is allotted Ugx700, 000 per year to cater drugs as well as monitoring.
Musoba disclosed that so far 1.4 million people in Uganda were living with HIV. He noted that out of these, about 1.3 million are on drugs. He attributed the high prevalence to poverty among the people.
Geoffrey Kyomukama – the Rukungiri District LCV Chairman noted that as of June 30 this year, Rukungiri district had 180,000 people living with HIV, out of which 63 per cent were females and 37% males.
Ten per cent of the victims, he added, were below the age of 24 years. Kyomukama used the same platform to ask President Yoweri Museveni to honour the promise of establishing a government hospital in Rukungiri district, reasoning that locals were facing serious hardships in transferring patients to well-equipped health facilities.
President Yoweri Museveni who presided over the national function, warned the youth to take care of their lives – adding that the HIV/Aids disease was killing 17,000 Ugandans every year. He quoted a UN report which indicated that girls were four times more likely to be infected with the disease than their male counterparts.
Ministry of Health records show that the increased infections in the country have been driven by multiple sexual partnerships as well as transactional sex, acts which youth engaged in more.
“I am really determined to insist on behavioural change,” said the President.
Museveni revealed that Kalangala district leads the country’s HIV cases with 16 people out of 100 testing positive.
Other leading districts with high prevalence rates are Kyotera, Kabarore, Masaka, Gulu, Kalungu, Mbarara, Lira, Bushenyi, Wakiso, Kiruhura, Lyantonde, and Rukungiri.
The districts with the fewer cases include; Bududa, Kibuku, Namisindwa, Amudat, Nakapiripirit, Terego, Napak, Paliisa, Kotido, Karenga and Kabong.
Museveni used the same platform to swipe the opposition – glorifying the electorates of Rukungiri for denouncing for the National Resistance Movement – NRM in leadership – pledging to honour the unfulfilled undertakings.
