Uganda has been a pioneer in combating HIV, spearheading a multi-sectoral response coordinated by the Uganda AIDS Commission.1 Between 1990 and 1995, through its AIDS Control Program and collaboration across ministries, civil society, and communities of people living with HIV, Uganda achieved significant progress, reducing HIV prevalence among pregnant women from 30% to 15%.2 This established Uganda as a global benchmark, and the success attracted more development partnerships. Today, 95% of people living with HIV in Uganda—including over 90% of pregnant women—receive life-saving antiretroviral treatment. These accomplishments are a testament to Uganda’s unwavering courage in the face of an existential threat. While celebrating these achievements, Uganda must address a critical vulnerability: its heavy reliance on foreign aid for health financing. According to the World Bank, donor aid constitutes over half of Uganda’s annual health budget; meanwhile, the government of Uganda contributes only 8%, private community-based insurance schemes cover another 8%, and households are left to cover the remaining 33% through out-of-pocket payments. Donor funding accounts for 85% of HIV financing and over 90% of the malaria budget, starkly contradicting the country’s Abuja Declaration pledge to allocate 15% of its annual national budget to health.5 By outsourcing health financing to external actors, Uganda is abdicating its obligation to ensure the right to health for its people, treating health as a charity or privilege rather than a fundamental human right.