Disruptions and cuts to U.S. funding in Uganda has eroded trust in public health, amplified skepticism about donor motivations and donor-purchased commodities, increased loss to follow-up among people living with HIV, and diminished uptake of primary prevention.
Date: 8/25
Region: Africa
Country: Uganda
Topic: Health
Policy Lens: Global Health Security
Additional Context: This information was first published in an August 2025 research brief by Physicians for Human Rights entitled "On the Brink of Catastrophe: U.S. Foreign Aid Disruption to HIV Services in Tanzania and Uganda.” This research brief draws on 29 oral history interviews, including five focus groups, with doctors, nurses, peer counselors, people living with HIV, key population members, and non-governmental organization staff conducted in Tanzania and Uganda in April 2025. To document the impacts of the U.S. foreign aid freeze and HIV funding cuts, the multidisciplinary study team used purposive and snowball sampling in Moshi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Fort Portal, Kampala, Kasese, and Tororo, Uganda. Participants had explicit control over how personal information was shared, with consent and demographic forms tailored to individual preferences.
Source: Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)

