September 12, 2006
Ugandan authorities said logistical problems caused them to allow $697,000 worth of HIV/AIDS drugs to expire, the Kenya-based East African newspaper reported Monday. The 78,000 tablets, which were reportedly financed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, were allocated along with drugs that had longer expiration dates. A spokesperson for the Geneva-based fund declined to comment. Last year, amid allegations of fraud, the Global Fund temporarily halted its funding for Uganda. At least 150,000 patients in the country are in urgent need of HIV/AIDS drugs.