The 100-Year Life Health Education and Government
Uganda’s health ministry says it will shut all its dedicated HIV/Aids and tuberculosis clinics in response to USAID funding cuts.
Pharmacies that exclusively supply antiretroviral treatment for HIV will also be closed, with the Ugandan government mandating that all care must now be provided by general healthcare services.
Dedicated HIV clinics have helped cut Uganda’s infection rates from 19 per cent in the 1990s to 5 per cent in 2024, as part of a plan funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (Pepfar).
Advocates of Pepfar have warned the sudden closure of services could lead to a spike in infections and stigmatise patients.
The bigger picture: scientists and activists are calling Trump’s gutting of USAID a wake-up call for African countries to become less dependent on external donors.
