Global Fund flooding India to combat endemics

Dec 22:  A multilateral Global Fund, to combat three deadly diseases, namely AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, pledged on Thursday to renew its grant of $153 million to India to use it for the next three years.

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Malaria and TB created by the G8 group of industrialised nations in 2002, signed an agreement on Thursday with India’s department of Economic Affairs to grant $100 million for AIDS and $53 million for malaria.

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These funds will be used to provide antiretroviral treatment (ARV), voluntary testing and to tackle stigma (against HIV),” fund director Michel Kazatchkine told a press conference in New Delhi.

Resources will be used to remove the stigma associated with AIDS through efficient communications and to train more health professionals.

The $153 million will be distributed over three years to combat these pandemic. The fund which is financed mainly by the US and European governments has approved a total of 747 million dollars in grants for India. Fund executive director, Michel Kazatchkine said that so far we have signed an agreement of $492 million out of which $160 million has already been allocated.

Funds are utilizing well as United Nations report estimates fall in the people infected with the virus from 5.7 million cases in 2005 to 2.5 million people cases in 2006.

The sharp fall in the number of cases reflected better statistical sampling methods, the UN said.

"Since AIDS is a huge threat, we are utilising 80% of the resources for this disease. The $100 million grant will help India buy second line drugs from UNITAID or Clinton Foundation, purchase viral load machines, strengthen and scale up antiretroviral treatment programmes and support voluntary counselling and testing services," Naco DG K Sujatha Rao said.

"We have done a good job in containing TB and AIDS. Malaria is our concern now. It is endemic throughout India, especially in the north-east, West Bengal and Jharkhand. In the next three months, we will upscale our resources and efforts to fight malarial,” said Union Health Minister A. Ramadoss.

Since its creation in 2002, Global Fund has become a major financer to combat endemics of AIDS, Malaria and TB with an approved funding of $10 billion for 520 programmes in 136 countries.

For the better utilization of funds and transparency in work a new pattern of distribution has been laid down according to which 40 percent of the money would go to civil society and the remaining to the government to ensure that all stakeholders came together to fight the disease.

During his first visit to India Dr. Kazatchkine met with representatives of the private sector to enforce public-private partnership for mobilizing resources and to provide better healthcare environment at work place. Several brand names like Armani, GAP and Indian Express have promised to contribute a part of their profit to Global fund to fight endemics globally.

National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the Indian government Aids control body, said there was still a shortfall in the country's budget of 115 billion rupees (2.9 billion dollars) over the next five years to fight AIDS.

The government will provide two-thirds of the funds while the rest will come from the donors such as World Bank.