In 2011 UGANDA MUST ELECT LEADERS
WHO WILL DEFEAT THE AIDS CRISIS
a ten-point election platform to end AIDS in Uganda
Uganda has achieved important progress in the fight against AIDS. But the nation’s AIDS response is under serious threat. Patients are dying waiting in line for access to life sustaining HIV treatment. More than 110,000 Ugandans are infected with HIV every year. There is an epidemic of pediatric HIV cases, with 25,000 newborns infected annually. Success in the battle against AIDS—and the fight for health for all Ugandans—requires a new wave of increased funding, renewed commitment and leadership at the highest levels of the Ugandan government. An estimated 1.2 million Ugandans are living with HIV, and only 180,000 have access to life saving treatment.
To guide candidates and political parties on how to respond to the national AIDS epidemic, civil society organisations in Uganda have developed a guide-ten point platform. This Election Pledge, if implemented, will achieve ambitious progress in treating, preventing, and ultimately ending the AIDS crisis in Uganda. To this end, we call on all political parties and candidates to publicly adopt and support this Election Pledge and include these targets in their own party election manifestos:
1. Fully fund the fight against HIV: Uganda must increase, as a matter of urgency, its domestic investments in HIV and the health sector overall, particularly in recurrent costs such as antiretrovirals (ARVs) and other essential medicines. Uganda should also call on donors to increase their investments in AIDS funding, and to keep their promises to achieve universal access to HIV treatment and prevention. Candidates and political parties should introduce innovative means to fund AIDS treatment and prevention, such as an ‘AIDS levy.’ An AIDS levy would generate a dedicated, predictable funding stream alongside ordinary budgetary allocations.
2. End stock outs of medicines: Routine stock outs of medicines, including antiretrovirals and other life-saving essential medicines, plague health facilities at all levels of the health system. All health facilities must have regular and sufficient supplies of antiretrovirals and other essential medicines to treat and prevent opportunistic infections and address to the health needs of communities. Candidates and political parties must commit to end all stock outs of essential medicines.
3. Treat the people and end pediatric HIV: Only about 190,000 of approximately 600,000 people with HIV who are currently in need of HIV treatment are able to access it. Uganda committed to achieve universal access to HIV treatment by 2010 but is currently off track in reaching that goal. Treatment saves lives, reduces the rate of new HIV infections by 92%, and prevents destabilization of communities. Every year in Uganda, about 25,000 infants are born with HIV. This is unacceptable when providing access to treatment for pregnant women is known to dramatically reduce HIV infection rates in newborns. Candidates and political parties should commit to doubling the national budget for ARVs and supporting at least 20% of adults and children in need of treatment.
4. End violence against women and promote women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights: Violence increases the risk of HIV transmission for women and an HIV diagnosis results in increased risk of violence for women. Women living with HIV are desperately lacking care and support and information about their health and rights. Candidates and political parties must implement programs that address the sexual and reproductive health needs of women affected by HIV and living with HIV, and implement policies and invest resources to eliminate violence against women and girls.
5. Implement comprehensive prevention to halt, reverse and eventually overcome new HIV infections, illnesses and deaths: There has been a resurgence of the epidemic with approximately 110,000 new infections (25,000 children; 73,000 women) occurring annually. Effective, evidence-based HIV prevention programs in Uganda should be available and accessible to all populations and should promote safer behaviours, reduce vulnerability to HIV transmission and provide commodities such as female and male condom and give accurate and adequate information rather than just implementing one or a few selected actions in isolation. Prevention programs must be designed recognising that most often do not fit into only one ‘risky category.’
6. Deliver the health workers: HIV/AIDS has worsened Uganda’s acute health worker crisis—the country needs at least a 50% increase in new health workers just to provide basic services. Uganda must invest in a massive increase in production of new health workers, significantly increase their wage and non-wage remuneration, and ensure the equitable deployment of health workers—nearly 70% of medical doctors and dentists, 80% of pharmacists and 40% of nurses and midwives, are in urban areas serving only 13% of the population. Candidates and political parties must commit to increasing the salaries of health workers by 120%, and deploying health workers where they are most needed.
7. Oppose and remove discriminatory and subjective criminalization of people living with HIV from Ugandan law and defend the rights of all vulnerable Ugandans in word, deed and law: Discriminatory laws undermine effective HIV prevention efforts—they create stigma and drive people away from live saving services. Uganda’s response to AIDS must defend and advance the human rights of all people, including minorities such as migrant populations, sex workers, and sexual minorities. Candidates and political parties should reject the ‘HIV/AIDS Bill’ that is before Parliament in its current form.
8. Fully equip our health facilities: Essential services at community health facilities are often inaccessible. Queues are long, there is no availability of diagnostic materials or other essential equipment, drug stock outs are routine, and overwhelmed, poorly paid and scarcely motivated medical staff are the norm. The costs of seeking better service elsewhere outside Uganda are too expensive for the nation. Candidates and political parties must commit to renovate, equip and upgrade health care facilities to levels that offer satisfactory services.
9. Corruption in the health sector kills—we demand transparency and accountability in health spending: Uganda consistently reports the disappearance of massive amounts of resources from the health sector—this illegal and selfish behavior is deadly and unacceptable. Uganda must commit to an ambitious health sector reform agenda, with no tolerance for corruption and graft. Those who engage in corruption must face the full hand of the law. Candidates and political parties must commit to ending corruption in the health sector and ensuring transparency at all levels.
10. Increase overall health sector spending: The government of Uganda currently invests only approximately USD 7 per person per year on health—and currently spends only 9.6% of its overall budget on health—far less than the minimum target of spending at least 15% of its national budget on health, as agreed to in the Abuja Declaration. Overall health sector spending by the government has been decreasing. Candidates and political parties must commit to honour the Abuja commitment and dramatically scaling up its per capita health sector spending.
This 2011 election pledge has been issued by people living with HIV and CSOs concerned about the AIDS crisis in Uganda. Please endorse this platform by emailing info@uganda2011electionstopaids.org or call +256414531913. Vote wisely! Your vote counts and the decision you make with it can help to end the AIDS crisis in Uganda.