In a major initiative
to support India’s efforts to mobilise a broad public- private
response to AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Executive Director
of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria Prof. Richard
Feachem is commencing his visit to the capital today. The objective
of the visit is to strategize deliverables with the Government
in an effort to pursue an integrated approach that covers treatment,
care, support and prevention.
The key focus of
the three-day visit is the meeting with key principals within
the Government. The Minister for Health and Family Welfare and
Parl. Affairs, Smt. Sushma Swaraj is expected to have a detailed
discussions with Prof. Feachem focussing on the quality of interventions
in combating HIV AIDS, the implementation of a comprehensive
care package for HIV infected persons, the methodology for enhanced
public-private partnership in combating the problem and identifying
new areas of colloboration and pro-active intervention. Prof.
Feachem would also be calling on the President, Prime Minister,
Finance Minister and Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission
during his three-day visit to the capital.
The visit assumes
significance in view of the UN General Assembly initiative that
initiated the process of creating a Global Fund amounting to
$ 10 billion for the purpose of reduction of infections, illness
and death, thereby mitigating the impact caused by HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria. It is estimated that in the year of
2000 these three diseases accounted for almost 10% of all deaths
worldwide. The fund has been set up and is already in the process
of supporting countries in their disease control programmes.
As a part of this
process, on 31st January, 2003, the fund approved
US$130 million to fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in India.
The grant assigns US $ 100 million for HIV/AIDS and US$ 30 million
for Tuberculosis and commits up to US$ 38.8 million over the
first two years. The fund allocated US $ 100 million for HIV/AIDS
alone. This sum would be available to the National Programme
in the country to carry out prevention of parent to child transmission
of HIV/AIDS. This was the single largest grant to any country
within Asia.
It may be mentioned
in this context that the Global Fund has also signed an agreement
to fund a previously approved TB programme proposal in India.
The approval of April, 2002 earmarks US $ 5.7 million over the
first two years of a three-year project. This programme also
expanded the ongoing Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme
to cover 56 million people in all 47 districts of the States
of Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chattisgarh.
