ViiV HEALTHCARE COMPANY STATEMENT ON ANTI-HOMOSEXUALITY ACT IN UGANDA

4th April 2024

We strongly believe that every person, regardless of who they are or where they live, should have access to medicines and healthcare services without fear of marginalisation, violence, stigma, discrimination or criminalisation. LGBTQ+ communities are disproportionately impacted by factors which drive the HIV epidemic.

As a company committed to its mission to leave no person living with HIV behind, ViiV Healthcare is extremely disappointed by the recent ruling in Uganda to uphold most of the elements of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023, criminalising the LGBTQ+ community. We note the court has struck out parts of the Act in part rightly because of the risk that certain provisions would impede the right to health. However, we question the practical impact of this step on access to healthcare, given that the Act still criminalises homosexuality.

We believe promoting an inclusive legal environment is critical to support access to healthcare services and medicines needed to treat and prevent HIV. Approximately 1.4m people are living with HIV in Uganda, with the number of new transmissions annually at approximately 54,000 and there are 17,000 AIDS-related deaths per year1.

Tremendous progress has been made in the HIV response including in Uganda, where the number of new cases has significantly reduced over the past 20 years, from 88,000 in 2001 to 17,000 as of the end of 20212. HIV-related stigma, discrimination and criminalisation risks undermining improvements in health outcomes needed to eliminate a chronic and infectious disease which remains a global public health threat.

We will continue to advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community across the world and support access to medicines to treat and prevent HIV.

References:

  1. https://uac.go.ug/media/attachments/2023/01/12/hiv-aids-factsheet-2022.pdf
  2. https://uac.go.ug/media/attachments/2023/01/12/hiv-aids-factsheet-2022.pdf

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