The Ministry of Health’s recent announcement about administering the first dose of Cabotegravir (Cab-LA) for HIV prevention is nothing short of a mockery. The government shamelessly parades this as a milestone when the reality on the ground is one of dire shortages, empty promises, and gross incompetence. Dr. Herbert Kadama, the so-called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) coordinator, might as well be handing out a placebo for all the good this inadequate rollout will do.
It is infuriating that the first dose was administered to a single walk-in patient in Mbarara, a region drowning in HIV infections, while thousands remain at risk, unable to access this life-saving drug. Kadama’s vague, noncommittal statements only add insult to injury. The fact that Cabotegravir is supposedly “available to anyone at risk” is a blatant lie, given the disgracefully small stock of doses available.
This so-called “milestone” of introducing Cabotegravir is a cruel joke when Uganda’s government has stockpiled a pitiful 7,500 doses—hardly enough to scratch the surface of the country’s epidemic. And where did these precious doses come from? Donations. Yes, Uganda, a country with one of the highest HIV burdens in the world, has to beg for scraps from foreign donors like PEPFAR. This country cannot even afford to purchase the medication itself! Uganda is nothing more than a beggar in the global fight against HIV, relying on handouts from wealthier nations while failing to take real, meaningful action to protect its people.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have long fought for equitable access to PrEP, raising alarms about how developing nations like Uganda, with sky-high HIV rates, are unable to afford essential drugs. Yet, their cries fall on deaf ears as the government prioritizes everything but its own people’s health. The Ministry of Health continues to ignore the crucial issue of affordability, dragging its feet while thousands continue to suffer.
Even the progress reported in the rise of oral PrEP users—from 800 in 2017 to 700,000 today—paints a bleak picture. This figure might sound impressive, but it is meaningless when the adherence rates are abysmally low. The government loves to boast about numbers but refuses to acknowledge that oral PrEP’s daily regimen is a burden for many, and adherence falls off a cliff because of poor follow-up and insufficient support systems.
Cabotegravir offers a more convenient alternative, with its long-acting injection given every eight weeks, but what good is it when the government has no plan for sustainable access? The 3,500 additional doses expected in February are a drop in the ocean compared to the number of people at risk. This shortage is a ticking time bomb, and the government’s failure to address it with urgency is nothing short of negligence.
Lenacapavir, another preventive drug with 100 per cent effectiveness, is another beacon of hope that Uganda’s incompetent health system will likely fail to deliver. While Dr. Flavia Matovu Kiweewa of the Makerere University – John Hopkins University Research Collaboration (MUJHU) proudly claims that participants in clinical trials in Mityana, Kalangala, and Masaka will continue receiving Lenacapavir, the rest of the population remains in limbo. Who knows when this life-saving drug will be available to the public, if at all?
The Ministry of Health and the Ugandan government must stop patting themselves on the back for token efforts. The administration of a single dose of Cabotegravir in Mbarara is not progress; it is a slap in the face of millions living in fear of contracting HIV. Until the government prioritizes the health of its citizens over political gain, and until there is a real commitment to providing these drugs consistently and affordably, Uganda’s HIV crisis will continue to spiral out of control.
In the meantime, those at risk are left to fend for themselves in a system that has failed them at every turn. This dismal state of affairs is yet another example of the Uganda government’s blatant disregard for human life. How many more must suffer before there is real action?
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