Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 11/7/2006

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - UGANDA: Funding shortfall to affect health programmes

1 - UGANDA: Funding shortfall to affect health programmes

KAMPALA, 7 November (PLUSNEWS) - Health programmes in Uganda could be disrupted

following a decision by the Global Fund to exclude the country from its list of

beneficiaries, a senior government official said on Tuesday

The decision by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria would

exclude Uganda from the list of countries due to receive part of its sixth round

of grants.

" We had presented a funding request for three years totalling US $111 million of

which we expected at least $35 million. But it was not approved, " Kihumuro

Appuli, the head of the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), said. " This will cause

some inconveniences, but we are going to assess what impact it will cause and

find out how we can bridge the gaps that might have been left. "

According to the final list of approved proposals on the Fund's website, Uganda

has missed out on funds to fight HIV/AIDS and malaria. However, it received a

two-year grant of $10.7 million, which would bring to $26 million the total

funds the country has received to fight tuberculosis (TB).

Kihumuro said despite missing out, Uganda was getting funding from other

sources, mainly from the US President Bush Initiative on AIDS, of which

the country is the biggest recipient. It expects to receive up to $170 million

in 2006.

He said Uganda was to establish the reasons why its proposal was rejected and

that it was awaiting more details.

Last week, the Fund's board approved the sixth round of 85 new grants, totalling

$847 million. These new commitments expand its portfolio to $6.6 billion through

more than 460 grants in 136 countries. Some 63 countries are beneficiaries of

the newly-approved funding; four are receiving financing for the first time.

Over a five-year period, the new grants will support the provision of

life-enhancing antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to 200,000 people living with

AIDS, the treatment of nearly 400,000 people infected with TB and the

distribution of 11.5 million insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria,

among other interventions.

The Fund said in a statement that nearly half of the new funding is committed to

Africa, with the remainder to be distributed among other regions experiencing

large or rapidly growing burdens of the diseases: Asia, Eastern Europe, and

Latin American and the Caribbean.

Just over half of the grants will go to combat HIV/AIDS, while the other half is

evenly divided between TB and malaria. The majority of funds, or 60 percent,

will flow to low-income nations.

The Fund suspended its grants to Uganda in 2005 when it discovered misuse of the

funds, but reinstated them when the government appointed a commission to

investigate the funds' management.

The probe into the mismanagement of the Fund, headed by a High Court judge,

Justice Ogoola, found gross mismanagement by the project implementation

team.

Health ministers Jim Muhwezi, Mike Mukula and Kamugisha were implicated and

later dropped as ministers.

vm/js/jm

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Subscriber: AIDS treatments

[Guest guest]

U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - UGANDA: Funding shortfall to affect health programmes

1 - UGANDA: Funding shortfall to affect health programmes

KAMPALA, 7 November (PLUSNEWS) - Health programmes in Uganda could be disrupted

following a decision by the Global Fund to exclude the country from its list of

beneficiaries, a senior government official said on Tuesday

The decision by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria would

exclude Uganda from the list of countries due to receive part of its sixth round

of grants.

" We had presented a funding request for three years totalling US $111 million of

which we expected at least $35 million. But it was not approved, " Kihumuro

Appuli, the head of the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), said. " This will cause

some inconveniences, but we are going to assess what impact it will cause and

find out how we can bridge the gaps that might have been left. "

According to the final list of approved proposals on the Fund's website, Uganda

has missed out on funds to fight HIV/AIDS and malaria. However, it received a

two-year grant of $10.7 million, which would bring to $26 million the total

funds the country has received to fight tuberculosis (TB).

Kihumuro said despite missing out, Uganda was getting funding from other

sources, mainly from the US President Bush Initiative on AIDS, of which

the country is the biggest recipient. It expects to receive up to $170 million

in 2006.

He said Uganda was to establish the reasons why its proposal was rejected and

that it was awaiting more details.

Last week, the Fund's board approved the sixth round of 85 new grants, totalling

$847 million. These new commitments expand its portfolio to $6.6 billion through

more than 460 grants in 136 countries. Some 63 countries are beneficiaries of

the newly-approved funding; four are receiving financing for the first time.

Over a five-year period, the new grants will support the provision of

life-enhancing antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to 200,000 people living with

AIDS, the treatment of nearly 400,000 people infected with TB and the

distribution of 11.5 million insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria,

among other interventions.

The Fund said in a statement that nearly half of the new funding is committed to

Africa, with the remainder to be distributed among other regions experiencing

large or rapidly growing burdens of the diseases: Asia, Eastern Europe, and

Latin American and the Caribbean.

Just over half of the grants will go to combat HIV/AIDS, while the other half is

evenly divided between TB and malaria. The majority of funds, or 60 percent,

will flow to low-income nations.

The Fund suspended its grants to Uganda in 2005 when it discovered misuse of the

funds, but reinstated them when the government appointed a commission to

investigate the funds' management.

The probe into the mismanagement of the Fund, headed by a High Court judge,

Justice Ogoola, found gross mismanagement by the project implementation

team.

Health ministers Jim Muhwezi, Mike Mukula and Kamugisha were implicated and

later dropped as ministers.

vm/js/jm

[ENDS]

This is non-reply e-mail. Please do not hesitate to contact us at

Mail@....

Principal donors: IRIN is generously supported by Australia, Canada, Denmark,

ECHO, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and

the United States of America. For more information, go to:

http://www.IRINnews.org/donors

[This item comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information

service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its

agencies. All IRIN material may be reposted or reprinted free-of-charge; refer

to the copyright page (Http://www.irinnews.org/copyright ) for conditions of

use. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs.]

PLUSNEWS

Tel: +27 11 895-1900

Fax: +27 11 784-6759

Email: Mail@...

To make changes to or cancel your subscription visit:

http://www.irinnews.org/subscriptions

Subscriber: AIDS treatments