According to the director general of the Uganda AIDS Commission, Kihumuro Apuuli, and the envisaged budget cuts may hamper patients’ reach of anti-retroviral drugs , which is extremely crucial to extend their lives. Presently almost 75,000 patients are using these drugs.
Uganda has not been able to augment the annual healthcare budget over the years to the intended 15 percent, formerly conceived by the African heads of state in Nigeria, way back in 2001.Kihumuro's is deeply concerned with the paucity of resources available to assist the people in need, almost 130,000 people annually. In the estimate of the UAC, 1.2 billion dollars is needed annually to make headway in the search for the AIDS vaccine. Right now only 650 million is available. "The budget framework has reduced money for the health sector. We are likely to get little funds for HIV/AIDS activities and there is no money for drugs," he said.
