Muhwezi in Geneva over Global Fund
Sep 26, 2005
The Global Fund International Board meets this week in Geneva, Switzerland to review the suspension of AIDS grants to Uganda.
By Felix Osike
and Ben Mugisha
The Global Fund International Board meets this week in Geneva, Switzerland to review the suspension of AIDS grants to Uganda.
Health minister Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi, who left for Geneva on Friday, is expected to defend Uganda’s position at the board’s 11th meeting due on September 28-30.
The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria temporarily suspended five of its grants to Uganda in August, citing flaws in the management of the project.
“We expect the board to take a decision on Uganda and have the funds reinstated as soon as possible,†health State minister Capt. Mike Mukula said yesterday. He said procurement of malaria and antiretroviral drugs and condoms was going on.
Dr. Alex Opio, the Assistant Commissioner for Disease Control and Dr. Joshua Musinguzi of the AIDS Control Programme, accompanied Muhwezi.
State minister for primary health care Dr. Alex Kamugisha was to join them yesterday.
Muhwezi said, “We shall present our case to the board members for discussion and with the support we have from the member states, we hope the suspension will be lifted.â€
Sources from the ministry said Uganda’s case would come up after the presentation of the Secretary General’s report.
“We hope the findings will show that it was a storm in a tea cup, that the suspension was dramatised and Uganda not given a chance to explain,†the source said.
African health ministers, who met in Maputo, Mozambique after the suspension, requested the board to include Uganda’s case on the agenda.
Sources said the Angolan health minister, who represents east, central and southern Africa on the board, invited Muhwezi.
A Global Fund probe team led by Chief of Operations Brad Herbert visited Uganda shortly after the suspension. A joint statement by the Global Fund and the Government issued after the visit said the suspension would be lifted by October once controls of the grants have been established.
Ends
and Ben Mugisha
The Global Fund International Board meets this week in Geneva, Switzerland to review the suspension of AIDS grants to Uganda.
Health minister Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi, who left for Geneva on Friday, is expected to defend Uganda’s position at the board’s 11th meeting due on September 28-30.
The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria temporarily suspended five of its grants to Uganda in August, citing flaws in the management of the project.
“We expect the board to take a decision on Uganda and have the funds reinstated as soon as possible,†health State minister Capt. Mike Mukula said yesterday. He said procurement of malaria and antiretroviral drugs and condoms was going on.
Dr. Alex Opio, the Assistant Commissioner for Disease Control and Dr. Joshua Musinguzi of the AIDS Control Programme, accompanied Muhwezi.
State minister for primary health care Dr. Alex Kamugisha was to join them yesterday.
Muhwezi said, “We shall present our case to the board members for discussion and with the support we have from the member states, we hope the suspension will be lifted.â€
Sources from the ministry said Uganda’s case would come up after the presentation of the Secretary General’s report.
“We hope the findings will show that it was a storm in a tea cup, that the suspension was dramatised and Uganda not given a chance to explain,†the source said.
African health ministers, who met in Maputo, Mozambique after the suspension, requested the board to include Uganda’s case on the agenda.
Sources said the Angolan health minister, who represents east, central and southern Africa on the board, invited Muhwezi.
A Global Fund probe team led by Chief of Operations Brad Herbert visited Uganda shortly after the suspension. A joint statement by the Global Fund and the Government issued after the visit said the suspension would be lifted by October once controls of the grants have been established.
Ends