AIDS Healthcare Foundation Donates 1M Condoms to Uganda’s Health Ministry
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation on Tuesday announced it has donated one million condoms to Uganda's Ministry of Health, Uganda's Monitor reports (Natabaalo, Monitor, 3/15). AHF pledged to donate the condoms in August 2005 after reports by the Center for Health and Gender Equity, also known as CHANGE, said Uganda needs between 120 million and 150 million condoms annually, but from October 2004 through August 2005, only 32 million were distributed in the country (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 8/30/05). The condoms donated by AHF will be distributed by Uganda CARES (Monitor, 3/15). Uganda CARES is a partnership between the Ministry of Health and AHF that currently operates 11 clinics throughout the country that provide HIV/AIDS-related services at no cost (AHF release, 3/14)."Unfortunately, supply chain management continues to be a major obstacle in many global anti-AIDS efforts and it must be addressed quickly if we are to truly get a handle on this pandemic," Bernard Okongo, Africa bureau chief for AHF, said, adding, "Until we are able to streamline and improve the supply chain with regard to condoms, this generous donation may help break the chain of new infections here in Uganda" (AHF release, 3/14). Martha Kibirige, coordinator of the condom unit at the health ministry, said there was no condom shortage in the country and that the ministry now has a machine to test condom quality (Monitor, 3/15).
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