Parents receive new treated bed nets to help them fight malariaRwanda will next week host the 37th Global Fund board meeting which will discuss funding of crucial projects aimed at ending diseases the globe is battling.
Rwanda will next week host the 37th Global Fund board meeting which will discuss funding of crucial projects aimed at ending diseases the globe is battling.
Chaired by Norbert Hauser, former Vice President of Germany’s Supreme Audit Institution among other distinguished careers in Public and government institutions, the board will take place on May 2 – 4 in Kigali.
The board takes place twice a year and comprises of 20 voting members from donors, beneficiary countries, non-governmental organizations, affected communities and the private sector.
By raising resources from developed countries and various donors, the Global Fund finances institutions and countries through grants.
It also provides support to countries in response to three most deadly diseases especially in the developing countries such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Since 2003, Global Fund has granted Rwanda $1.2 billion to support several health initiatives.
For the next two years (2017-2018), Global Fund grant to Rwanda amounts to $210 million.
According to Health Ministry officials, the biggest part of the fund; $154 million will go into HIV-AIDS fight, while $41.4 million will be used to fight Malaria. The remaining $14,1million was dedicated to fight tuberculosis.
Malick Kayumba, Head of Health Communication Division at Rwanda Biomedical Centre told KT Press that Rwanda’s health partners have hugely contributed to the wellbeing of the country.
Through Global Fund grant and other partners, Rwanda put 175,000 HIV/AIDS patients on anti – retroviral medicines, handed out 12.9 million treated mosquito nets, while 35,600 tuberculosis cases have been treated.
With 3 percent of HIV prevalence rate, Rwanda has fared well in the efforts to fight HIV-AIDs in the region followed by Tanzania at 5 per cent; Kenya with 6 percent and Uganda at 7 percent, according to East African Community facts and figures report.
As of July 2016, the Global Fund injected $30 billion into health programs globally to combat HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
