Uganda has long been shaped by HIV, and some of the most influential research on the virus has come from Uganda. While many advancements have been made, the African nation now faces considerable challenges with more than $300 million in funding cuts. In addition, it has one of the lowest levels of health spending, and HIV remains heavily stigmatized there.
Reporting from Uganda, journalist Michal Ruprecht examines how loss of foreign funding is straining the nation's ability to sustain its health systems.
First, Ruprecht looks into the rollout of a landmark drug called lenacapavir, launched by Ugandan researcher Flavia Matovu Kiweewa. But funding cuts have shattered HIV clinics in Masaka, delayed the rollout, and disrupted delivery to Kalangala, where one in seven people lives with HIV.
Second, Ruprecht examines how care is delivered. Kalangala is a challenging place to reach: an archipelago of more than 80 islands in Lake Victoria, with high boat fuel prices and unsafe waters. Local volunteer health workers have been providing care to hundreds of patients, adapting to the fragmented geography.
And, finally, this project examines the forces that shape the global health supply chain. The fate of a diagnostic or medication depends on the decisions made by various stakeholders. Clinicians in the Global South are facing these market forces with a once-widespread product, and in that vacuum, researchers are stepping in to find alternatives.
