In The News
Anti-AIDS school launched at Mulago
October 21, 2004: By Alfred Wasike - President Yoweri Museveni yesterday opened the US$4.5m teaching complex at Mulago Hospital, with a call for more partners to combat the disease.
The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Africa’s only anti-AIDS teaching hospital, is to train the continent’s doctors in the management and treatment of people with HIV/AIDS.
Of the 40 million people living with the epidemic worldwide, more than 25 million are in Africa.
The ultra-modern two- story complex equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories is a result of a partnership between Pfizer (the main financiers), the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa, Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Academic Alliance Foundation (AAF), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Makerere University and Mulago Hospital.
Museveni said, "While we need more partnership to wipe out AIDS, we are going to start fighting some partners who have been stealing our patents. I have a quarrel with two groups. It is very unfair for our scientists to make discoveries and then other people steal them."
"Africa has a lot of ancient knowledge and the biggest variety of herbs. We have also established a special fund for scientists for innovation and another fund for turning the discoveries for real life use," he told an audience of mainly north American and European scientists.
Museveni warned, "Only a multi-pronged attack against AIDS will yield results. We need to focus on prevention, careful use of drugs, continued research and treatment."
He said Uganda had reduced the AIDS prevalence rate to below 6% through mainly "social immunisation because we had very low condom use per capita."
Museveni is a reknowned anti-AIDS crusader and award winner.
