US$ 18 million for the fight against tuberculosis in Indonesia
11 August 2009
Global Fund Executive Director Signs Grant Agreements in Bali
Bali (11 August 2009) –The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today signed two new grant agreements initially worth US$ 18 million over two years, to further strengthen the fight against tuberculosis (TB) in Indonesia. The overall commitment over a five-year period for both programs is approximately US$ 90 million.
These grants were signed at the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP9) by Prof Michel Kazatchkine, the Global Fund’s Executive Director, Dr Iwan Muljono, Director of the Directorate General of Diseases Control and Environmental Health of the Ministry of Health, and Dr Bambang Wispriyono, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health of the University of Indonesia. Also present at the signing ceremony were Dr Siti Fadilah Supari, Minister of Health of Indonesia and Australia’s Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, Mr Murray Proctor.
“We are delighted to continue strengthening our long-term relationship with Indonesia, a country that consistently works to fight the three diseases,” said Prof Kazatchkine. “These grants for TB will help to consolidate the progress made so far, continuing the expansion of treatment and case detection,” he said.
The new grants will be implemented by the Directorate General of Diseases Control and Environmental Health of the Ministry of Health and the Faculty of Public Health of the University of Indonesia, and have a two-year value of US$ 12 million and US$6 million respectively. The programs will provide anti-TB drugs, implement activities that improve diagnosis, and support the training of doctors and nurses. They will also support the renovation of laboratories and address HIV/TB and MDR-TB (multidrug-resistant TB) by improving TB infection control in health facilities.
Another agreement to fight TB worth approximately US$ 6 million was signed last June with the Central Board of Aisyiyah, a nongovernmental organization. These funds will be allocated to advocacy activities through mass media campaigns, with the objective of reaching the public and private sectors and prisons.
“The programs aim at continuing quality treatment and case detection, and will provide an uninterrupted supply of quality TB drugs and diagnostics,” said Kazatchkine. “Community care will be improved and health systems strengthened,” he said.
Last April the Global Fund and Indonesia also signed three grant agreements to support AIDS programs amounting to almost US$ 40 million for the next two years and US$ 126 million for the next five years. These grants will be implemented by the National AIDS Commission of Indonesia, the Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association and the Ministry of Health.
The Global Fund is now supporting Indonesia in its fight against AIDS, TB and malaria with a total of eight grants with approved funding amounting to more than US$ 290 million. A ninth grant to support Indonesia’s efforts against malaria is due to be signed for US$ 66 million over two years and US$ 109 million over five years.