The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) of Uganda Essay

The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) of Uganda - Essay Example However, in 2006, the expectancy had risen to 48 years for males and 51 years for female. It was estimated that, the leading cause of death of all ages was HIV/AIDS accounting for 9.4% and malaria following accounting for 4.1%. In his bid, to realize these objectives, Museveni and his government established a good relationship with the donor community. The international monetary fund (IMF), World Bank, and other donor governments were in support of the Ugandan effort to reduce poverty (United Nations 2004). Museveni’s government managed to put an end to institutionalized human rights abuses and liberalized the economy to higher standards that there were in the previous regimes. In fact, upon independence the Ugandan government witnessed infrastructure decay with healthcare delivery largely dependent on humanitarian aid. After taking over power, President Museveni strategically decentralized health system with much of health care leadership being given to provincial authorities (Barnett and Blaikie 1992). The new strategic health plan included village health provision. In addition, provision of health services was a joint responsibility between government, private non-profit organisations, and private profit organizations (Engelberg 2001). Government efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS Alongside these achievements by the Museveni’s government, some improvements have been witnessed in terms of the fight against AIDS (Hope 1999). The first incidences of AIDS death were reported in 1982. It is noted that HIV spread quickly along major highways with Ugandan armed forces and rebel groups facilitating its transmission (Ntozi et al 1997). In 1986, President Museveni introduced a proactive prevention campaign that emphasized AIDS was a patriotic duty that required openness, and strong leadership at all levels. The formation of national control program for AIDS (NCPA) included representatives from nongovernmental organizations, academics, and faith based organizations. Its mission was to create HIV/AIDS control plan that included policy guidelines, campaign for safe sexual behavior, and care and treatment programs (Hope 1999). However, after some time, the NCPA was dissolved and replaced with the national AIDS control program (ACP). In addition, the ministry of health established a national HIV/AIDS surveillance system. Nevertheless, the HIV prevalence rose in early 1990s, with as high as 25% rates being witnessed in urban areas (United Nations 2004). In 1992, national prevalence was estimated to be 18.3%. In 2003, a total of 530,000 people were infected with HIV/AIDS. A total of 78,000 had died from AIDS related illnesses. However, the government through the ministry of health instilled measures to improve the situation and by 2005, 90% of people aged 15-49 had heard of AIDS and could identify several ways of preventing HIV transmission. However, during the same year, only 13% of adults had tested for HIV with 70% of the estimate 1 million people infected remained untested. In 2006, the WHO reported that over 1 million Ugandans were living with HIV. Prevalence was reported to be higher in urban areas mostly in young women,