By Juliet Waiswa

THE Government is to set aside sh60b each year to overcome the shortage of ARVs, the head of HIV programming in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Zainabu Akol, has said.

Akol said the money will help provide counselling for patients, testing and anti-retroviral drugs.

She said the country has enough drugs for clients who had enrolled but lacks drugs for people who test positive for HIV for the first time.

“There is an increasing laxity among the population which has led to an increase in infections in the country,” Akol said.

She was addressing stakeholders, and people living with HIV/AIDS at the celebrations to mark 20 years of the Aids Information Centre at the Lugogo KCC grounds on Saturday.

Akol added that changing social behaviour is one of the ways HIV/AIDS can be prevented.

The minister disclosed that there are 130,000 new infections every year, 8% of them women and 12% children.

The executive director of AIC, Dr. Raymond Byaruhanga, said Uganda faces a challenge of the increasing demand for HIV/ AIDS services due to the increasing number of infections.

Byaruhanga called on the Government to strengthen support given to people living with HIV/AIDS.