Millions to flow into war chest to fight AIDS, TB and malaria

NAMIBIA and the Global Fund to fight HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are set to sign an agreement on Friday that should be followed by the release of around N$128 million to combat the three diseases this year.

A year 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 Friday’s agreement.Of this, some N$106 million will go to HIV-AIDS, N$5 million to TB and N$17 million to malaria prevention.However, with the exchange rate having changed since the signing, the amount might differ by Friday.Abner Xoagub of the National AIDS Co-ordination Programme said around 31 recipients who were part of the application would benefit.However, the Ministry of Health will first have to train the recipients in how to manage the money before the actual disbursement.”We should see the full implementation of the whole process (money reaching recipients) by May,” he told a National Multi-sectoral AIDS Co-ordination Committee (Namacoc) meeting in Windhoek yesterday.Xoagub said before money was disbursed to recipients, the Ministry of Health will ensure that they know what they are getting into.”We will train them and then sign agreements with individual recipients specifying how they will use the money.If everything goes well, training for recipients will start in middle March.We are trying our level best to accelerate the process,” he said.Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Permanent Secretary of Health, said the prior requirements were “absolutely necessary” before the funds were released.”The release of funds will depend on your performance and whether you meet the requirements.Also, funds will not be released in one block but after every single cent is accounted for,” he said.The Global Fund earlier appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to assess the Ministry of Health’s financial management systems and they had 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 (NGOs).The grant will ensure that some 13 000 HIV-positive Namibians of the estimated 230 000 patients at 35 state hospitals will have access to life-prolonging drugs by the end of 2006.In the proposal to the fund, Namibia said HIV-AIDS was a heavy burden on the country and that it was among the top five affected countries in the world.In the proposed Medium Term Plan III that was discussed yesterday, Namacoc said over 20 per cent of the health budget is devoted to AIDS-care, while the indirect and direct costs of medical care to the country’s economy will amounts to N$8 billion by 2010 – six times the current expenditure on health in the public sector.Most of the 31 recipients are NGOs but the bulk of the Global Fund money will go towards the Ministry of Health’s programmes.The first instalment of N$128 million will be distributed after Friday’s agreement. Of this, some N$106 million will go to HIV-AIDS, N$5 million to TB and N$17 million to malaria prevention. However, with the exchange rate having changed since the signing, the amount might differ by Friday. Abner Xoagub of the National AIDS Co-ordination Programme said around 31 recipients who were part of the application would benefit. However, the Ministry of Health will first have to train the recipients in how to manage the money before the actual disbursement. “We should see the full implementation of the whole process (money reaching recipients) by May,” he told a National Multi-sectoral AIDS Co-ordination Committee (Namacoc) meeting in Windhoek yesterday. Xoagub said before money was disbursed to recipients, the Ministry of Health will ensure that they know what they are getting into. “We will train them and then sign agreements with individual recipients specifying how they will use the money. If everything goes well, training for recipients will start in middle March. We are trying our level best to accelerate the process,” he said. Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Permanent Secretary of Health, said the prior requirements were “absolutely necessary” before the funds were released. “The release of funds will depend on your performance and whether you meet the requirements. Also, funds will not be released in one block but after every single cent is accounted for,” he said. The Global Fund earlier appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) to assess the Ministry of Health’s financial management systems and they had 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 (NGOs). The grant will ensure that some 13 000 HIV-positive Namibians of the estimated 230 000 patients at 35 state hospitals will have access to life-prolonging drugs by the end of 2006. In the proposal to the fund, Namibia said HIV-AIDS was a heavy burden on the country and that it was among the top five affected countries in the world. In the proposed Medium Term Plan III that was discussed yesterday, Namacoc said over 20 per cent of the health budget is devoted to AIDS-care, while the indirect and direct costs of medical care to the country’s economy will amounts to N$8 billion by 2010 – six times the current expenditure on health in the public sector. Most of the 31 recipients are NGOs but the bulk of the Global Fund money will go towards the Ministry of Health’s programmes.