Major foreign funding for HIV-AIDS campaign

GOVERNMENT says it will sign a long-awaited agreement with the Global Fund to fight HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria which will release around N$128 million to combat the three diseases this year.

Dr Norbert Forster, Chairperson of the Namibian Global Fund Technical Working Group, told The Namibian the Global Fund still needed to approve their work plans and budgets. Thirteen months ago, the fund awarded around N$989 million to Namibia for a five-year programme to fight the diseases.The first instalment of N$128 million will be distributed after the agreement has been formalised.Of this, some N$106 million will go to HIV-AIDS, N$5 million to TB and N$17 million to malaria prevention.However, as the exchange rate has changed, the amount might differ at the time of the signing.Forster described the process as “tedious” and confirmed that Namibia had had to make various changes.”We are working towards signing before the end of this month still,” he said.The Global Fund earlier appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to assess the Ministry of Health’s financial management systems and they reported back positively to Geneva.The Ministry of Health has set up a separate financial management system as well as new ways on how to monitor, evaluate and procure drugs with the funds to be provided by Geneva.Most of the 31 recipients are non-governmental organisations but the bulk of the Global Fund money will go towards the Ministry of Health’s programmes.The grant will ensure that some 13 000 HIV-positive Namibians out of an estimated 230 000 patients at 35 State hospitals will have access to life-prolonging drugs by the end of 2006.Thirteen months ago, the fund awarded around N$989 million to Namibia for a five-year programme to fight the diseases.The first instalment of N$128 million will be distributed after the agreement has been formalised.Of this, some N$106 million will go to HIV-AIDS, N$5 million to TB and N$17 million to malaria prevention.However, as the exchange rate has changed, the amount might differ at the time of the signing.Forster described the process as “tedious” and confirmed that Namibia had had to make various changes.”We are working towards signing before the end of this month still,” he said.The Global Fund earlier appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to assess the Ministry of Health’s financial management systems and they reported back positively to Geneva.The Ministry of Health has set up a separate financial management system as well as new ways on how to monitor, evaluate and procure drugs with the funds to be provided by Geneva.Most of the 31 recipients are non-governmental organisations but the bulk of the Global Fund money will go towards the Ministry of Health’s programmes.The grant will ensure that some 13 000 HIV-positive Namibians out of an estimated 230 000 patients at 35 State hospitals will have access to life-prolonging drugs by the end of 2006.