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Global Fund aid to fight diseases

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 4. The Global Fund, an independent international funding agency, has granted $140 million to India to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This was stated by the Global Fund Executive Director, Richard Feachem, who arrived in New Delhi today on a three-day visit, to draft strategies to prevent and combat the three diseases in India.

Prof. Feachem is expected to have detailed discussions with the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Sushma Swaraj, on the nature of interventions in combating HIV/AIDS, implementation of a comprehensive care package for the HIV infected, the methodology for enhanced public-private partnership in combating the problem and identifying new areas of collaboration. It is estimated that the three diseases will account for nearly 10 per cent of the deaths worldwide in the coming years.

Talking to reporters after meeting the Planning Commission deputy chairman, K.C.Pant, the executive director said India was fast moving towards becoming the HIV/AIDS capital of the world as the figures were expected to touch 5-6 million. The funds given to India would be utilised in the next five years.

The Fund approved $130 million to fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in the country — $100 million to fight HIV/AIDS and $30 million for tuberculosis. The funds allocated would be available to the National Programme in the country to prevent parents to child transmission of HIV/AIDS. This was the single largest grant to any country in Asia.

The Global Fund also signed an agreement to fund a previously approved TB eradication programme. The approval of April 2002 earmarks $ 5.7 million over the first two years of the three-year project. This programme also expanded the ongoing Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme to cover 56 million people in all 47 districts of Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chhattisgarh.

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