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Christmas 2005 sees AIDS drugs for all

Uganda will by December 2005 offer free anti-AIDS drugs to all HIV-positive people in need of treatment, the Director General of Health Services, Prof Francis Omaswa has announced. This follows a recent call by Stephen Lewis, the UN special envoy on AIDS in Africa, that Uganda increase its target of 60,000 people on treatment by the end of next year to at least 100,000. UNAIDS estimates that only 23,000 of the country's 150,000 HIV-positive people clinically in need of anti-AIDS treatment are currently receiving it. According to a local newspaper, The Monitor, Omaswa said all district hospitals, and NGO health centres would distribute the free drugs with only a consultation fee charged to patients.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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