By Asmau Ahmad
Ugandan Government will ensure that everyone in the country has equitable access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care after the president signed an anti-homosexuality bill into law.
Minister of Health Ruth Aceng said following concerns by global organisations that the new law might have negatively impacted on access to HIV/AIDS services.
“Uganda will ensure that prevention programs for HIV Epidemic control remain accessible to those that need them in a non-discriminatory manner observing principles of confidentiality and equity,” Aceng tweeted.
“Our previous efforts brought down new HIV infections from 100,000 in 2015 to 17,000 in 2022.
“Similarly, HIV prevalence has declined from 18 per cent to 5.5 per cent now,” the minister said.
He noted that with 1.3 million people on treatment out of the estimated 1.43 million people living with HIV, the country was on course to HIV epidemic control.
Aceng said inspite concerns by the global organisations, Uganda remained committed to ending AIDS as a public health challenge by 2030.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had signed the contentious anti-homosexuality bill into law, the Speaker of Parliament said on Monday.
Museveni assented to the bill that imposed death and life-imprisonment sentences for certain same-sex acts, up to 20 years in jail for promotion and funding of same-sex activities.
According to the bill, a suspect convicted of attempted aggravated homosexuality will face 14 years in prison.
