Ugandan team impressed

The 12-member delegation, which was in the country for a three-day tour, comprised Ugandan members of parliament, director of the Uganda Aids Commission, officials from that country’s Ministry of Health and UNAids representatives.

The delegation was led by Dr Jeremiah Twa-Twa who is also the chairman of the HIV/Aids Standing Commission of the Parliament of Uganda and visited various institutions involved in the fight against HIV and Aids. The delegation visited Health and Child Welfare Minister Henry Madzorera and secretary Dr Gerald Gwinji, the Attorney General’s Office and former health ministers active in the field – including Dr David Parirenyatwa and Dr Timothy Stamps. Dr Twa-Twa said the team was impressed with the implementation, monitoring and management of the Aids Levy and that their visit to Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital had been revealing and enlightening.

“Our visit has been very beneficial and we shall use the information we have gathered to implement the programme in our country using the Zimbabwean model to fight the pandemic. The Zimbabwean Aids Levy has been documented as the best in Africa where it had received minimum support from the donor community during its initial start-up phase,” he said.

He said Uganda would implement the Zimbabwean model which did not rely on the donor community as past experience had taught them not to rely heavily on such funding.
National Aids Council board chairperson Mr David Mutambara, who was also representing the business sector, said the levy had initially been termed a waste of resources but had proven to be a positive practice.

“Our goal now is to achieve zero infection, zero discrimination, zero mother-to-child transmission and zero deaths,” he said.
Mr Mutambara said it was important for Uganda to also start their own anti-retroviral manufacturing plants so that they eliminate import costs which ultimately affect the end user.
Donor funding is drying up and observers have called on authorities to come up with other innovative ways of raising funds such as collecting levies from the informal sector.