GULU CITY, Uganda – Gulu Regional Referral Hospital (GRRH) has received an additional 80 doses of Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable drug used for HIV prevention, amid growing demand for the medication.
Speaking to UG Standards on Thursday, Florence Amito, the HIV Focal Person at GRRH, confirmed the delivery but said supply remains far below current demand.
“We have received 80 doses of Lenacapavir injections. We hope more supplies will be sent because the demand is very high,” Amito said.
The latest delivery comes as health officials continue to encourage people at risk of HIV infection to enroll for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a preventive treatment that significantly reduces the risk of contracting HIV.
The government launched Lenacapavir on April 17, 2026. Since then, supplies across the country have remained limited despite increasing demand. GRRH received its first consignment of 40 doses in April, which was quickly exhausted.
During a Health Journalists Café organized last week by the Health Journalists Network Uganda (HEJNU), Dr. Mary Stella Aya, In-Charge of Bardege Health Centre III, revealed that only a small proportion of eligible individuals are accessing PrEP services.
“According to our first-quarter 2026 records, we enrolled only 52 people on PrEP out of 114 individuals assessed and found eligible,” Dr. Aya said.
She noted that Bardege Health Centre III serves an average of 1,200 patients every month, yet the number of clients seeking PrEP services remains significantly lower than in other departments.
Health experts say many people are still unaware that PrEP services, including oral PrEP, are available at public health facilities. They attribute the low uptake to limited awareness, which continues to undermine efforts to reduce new HIV infections.
Amito also disclosed last week that Gulu City recorded 480 new HIV infections between January and March 2026. As of March 2026, the total number of people living with HIV in Gulu City stood at 22,515 — 14,882 women and 7,637 men.
Health officials are now calling for increased awareness and wider access to HIV prevention services, including PrEP and Lenacapavir, to help curb the spread of new infections.
Kipwola Susan, a community health facilitator and beneficiary, was among the first 40 people to receive the injection at its launch and has since been mobilizing community members, especially those at high risk, to embrace the HIV prevention method.
“I was among the first group to receive the PrEP injection. It is safe and convenient. Once you get it, you only need to think about family planning to prevent pregnancy and protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections,” she said.
