Corruption affects health services - U.S ambassador

Uganda should address serious mismanagement and corruption in the health system in order to consolidate the strides made, Deborah Malac, U.S. Ambassador to Uganda has said.

"The alarming Global Fund audit highlighted serious deficiencies in Uganda's health sector, such as the Government's failure to properly use and account for millions of dollars allocated to fight against three of the nation's biggest health threats - HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria," Malac said.

In her statement on the World Health Day, Malac was concerned about shortages of vital life-saving medicines.

"These shortages, and the lapses in government put hundreds of thousands of Ugandan lives at unnecessary risk from preventable and treatable diseases," she added.

She reiterated that U.S government was committed to improve the health of the Ugandan people.

"We remain committed to providing Ugandans with targeted resources to improve their health. Healthy people live longer, are more productive workers, and contribute to their society's economic growth. An investment in the well-being of Ugandans today is ultimately one in the country's future prosperity," she stated.

Last year, the United States invested more than $495 million in Uganda's health sector.  According to Malac, the assistance goes directly to the people and not the government, adding that direct support makes positive differences in the lives of Ugandans.

She noted that through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, more than 466,000 men were circumcised for HIV prevention, 1.6 million pregnant women tested for HIV, and 742,000 HIV-positive Ugandans received lifelong antiretroviral therapy.

"We have also made great progress in the fight against malaria, the top cause of illness and death in Uganda. With U.S. assistance, more than three million Ugandans are now protected through indoor residual spraying, and along with support from the Global Fund and the United Kingdom, the number of households with bed nets has increased to 80 percent, up from 34 percent in 2006," she explained.