Global challenges, such as conflicts and climate change, have led to a substantial reduction in financing from international donors for malaria projects in Uganda, the local media reported, citing the country's health ministry.
Jimmy Opigo, the director of the National Malaria Control Division at the Ministry of Health, reportedly stated that the cessation of external financial support will have detrimental consequences on the management of malaria and the expenses associated with its treatment in the country.
Jimmy Opigo, the director of the National Malaria Control Division at the Ministry of Health, reportedly stated that the cessation of external financial support will have detrimental consequences on the management of malaria and the expenses associated with its treatment in the country.
"The cost of malaria control in public health has been 95% donor dependent. The funding has been allocated to mosquito nets for prevention, residual indoor spraying, test kits for malaria, and first- and second-line malaria treatment in both the private and public sectors, which the donors have been subsidizing," said Opigo, as cited by the local media.
Minister of Health Ruth Aceng expressed concern regarding Uganda's significant dependence on donor money for the health sector, disclosing that 85% of the nation's health budget for the fiscal year 2024/2025 is sourced externally, the media reported.
Uganda has a high malaria incidence rate, ranking third in the world with more than 12 million cases reported every year, according to the WHO. In 2022, it contributed 5% of all global malaria cases.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that 30% of sick individuals in Uganda are afflicted with malaria. 60% of children under the age of five who are admitted to hospitals have malaria and are at risk of dying. Moreover, 20 out of 100 pregnant women have malaria, which is dangerous for their own lives and the lives of their unborn children.
One of the most effective measures to fight the disease is vaccination. In mid-January, Benin became the third African country to receive doses of the malaria vaccine after Cameroon and Sierra Leone, following trials in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.
In October of last year, Uganda announced it could include vaccination in immunization plans for children in 2024, according to the local media outlet.