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Uganda's Health Officials Meet Over Suspension of AIDS Grant

Posted on: Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

Uganda's health officials meet over suspension of AIDS grant

KAMPALA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Top Ministry of Health officials in Uganda have met on Monday to discuss the implication of the suspension of the AIDS grants provided by the Global Fund to the country to fight AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

The country's stock of anti-retroviral drugs for children have run out and the drugs for tuberculosis and malaria are on the verge of running out, an internal memo for the Ministry of Health was quoted by local press as saying on Tuesday. The memo said the drugs for clinical management of TB will run out by September while the current stock for malaria drugs for children under five years could only last two months.

The drugs are supposed to be purchased using the Global Fund grants.

According to the media reports, the government program of procuring two million mosquito nets for free distribution to children, pregnant women and displaced persons have also been affected by the suspension of the grants by the Global Fund.

The purchase of three hundred motorcycles meant for the expansion of the community-based management of TB may also stall.

The Global Fund suspended its five grants worth over 150 million US dollars to Uganda last week after learning of serious mismanagement of the grants by a unit in the Health Ministry.

Monday's crisis meeting was held ahead of Tuesday's visit by Brad Herbert, the fund's chief of operations.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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