USAID Provides PEPFAR funding for new JCRC antiretrovial clinic in Mbarara

On Friday, October 21, HE President Museveni, with Dr. Peter Mugyenyi, Director of the Joint Clinical Research Center (JCRC) will launch the Rushere Health Center antiretroviral clinic in Mbarara, Uganda.  This new clinic is funded by the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The U.S. government has been providing support to JCRC’s HIV/AIDS “Timetable for Regional Scale Up of ARV Therapy” or TREAT program since December 2003.  Currently, TREAT is building capacity in 33 sites nationwide to deliver high quality, low cost anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy services to Ugandans living with AIDS. 

Under President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), launched in 2004, the U.S. Government has been working with the Government of Uganda and the private sector on a bold and sweeping new initiative to fight HIV/AIDS.  “By the end of 2006, over 40 sites will be reached through the JCRC-TREAT network and 50,000 people will be reached with AIDS treatment,” Dr. Peter Mugyenyi, JCRC Director has said.  All children, pregnant women and health care workers at these sites will receive fully subsidized treatment.

Since the launch of the Emergency Plan, the United States Government, in partnership with Uganda, has provided life saving treatment to over 45,000 people.  The TREAT program, supported by USAID-PEPFAR funds, will contribute greatly to the Government of Uganda goals to provide universal access to treatment in 2006.

The USAID support to JCRC is part of President Bush's $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which aims to treat 2 million people, prevent 7 million infections and provide care to 10 million people affected by HIV/AIDS.