The United States government has officially ended its collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Uganda (Baylor-Uganda), bringing its operations across the country to an abrupt halt.
The decision follows a directive from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting in his capacity as the Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
This move comes just a month after US President Donald Trump imposed a three-month suspension on foreign programs, citing the need to reassess US foreign policy priorities.
In a notice dated February 26, Adam Cox, Deputy Director of USAID’s Office of Acquisition and Assistance, confirmed the termination, stating that the decision was made for “convenience and in the interests of the US government.”
“It has been determined that continuing this program is not in the national interest,” Cox wrote in the official communication.
Baylor-Uganda has been instructed to immediately cease all activities, terminate sub-awards and contracts, and refrain from incurring additional obligations.
The organization has played a crucial role in Uganda’s healthcare sector, particularly in child and adolescent HIV programs. Its services have included HIV prevention, care, and treatment, as well as reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health care. Additionally, it has provided tuberculosis (TB) treatment and managed non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Operating across 11 cities and 44 districts, Baylor-Uganda was also a key player in Uganda’s HIV prevention strategy, offering free medical male circumcision services.
Despite the termination, the US government has granted waivers for critical health programs to continue during the ongoing three-month policy review. However, it remains uncertain whether any of Baylor-Uganda’s services will be granted exemptions.
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