Global Fund approves FP commodities for Uganda

In December, the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved Uganda's Round 10 proposal for health systems strengthening, which includes funds for the prevention of unintended pregnancies among HIV infected individuals. The target is to increase uptake of family planning (FP) among men and women living with HIV from 24% to 60% (assuming that uptake among HIV infected individuals is the same as the general population).  Inclusion of commodities resulted from a strong proposal, informed by Coalition member Advance Family Planning (AFP) and its partners. AFP and the Uganda Family Planning Consortium, which includes Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU), Marie Stopes International (MSU), Pathfinder International, Program for Accessible Health, Communication, and Education (PACE), and Uganda Health Marketing Group (UHMG), participated as part of the Reproductive Health / Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) working group meeting and advocated for meeting the FP needs of women living with HIV.

The proposal for Uganda includes funds for the prevention of unintended pregnancies among HIV infected individuals, focusing on:  

• Integration of Family Planning (FP) and HIV services: FP services will be integrated into HIV testing, prevention, care and treatment services, based  on the new policy guidelines for SRH and HIV integration in Uganda. 
• Support for procurement of FP supplies including injectables and implants, as well as oral contraceptives and condoms, and training/skills building for insertion and removal of implants.
• Community education by Civil Society Organizations, men and women groups, and networks of people  living with HIV to raise awareness and demand for utilization of FP services by men and women, and will involve men in critical discussions on the risk of frequent pregnancies to the mother. The target is to increase uptake of FP among men and women living with HIV; from 24% to 60% (assuming that uptake among HIV infected individuals is the same as the general population). 

To read the proposal, click here.

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