RANGOON — The Three Millennium Development Goal Fund (3MDG) has committed US$91 million to help Burma deal with HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, the fund announced Wednesday.
The funding, which 3MDG says will benefit 8 million people in Burma, will be overseen by the Ministry of Health, and is intended to help the country develop disease control strategies and target people living in povertyor in hard-to-reach areas.
According to a statement, the funding is divided between the diseases, with $27.4 million going toward HIV treatment, $21 million for tuberculosis and $42.5 million for malaria. The fund’s commitment will be until the end of 2016.
3MDG said it has worked with the National AIDS Programme to identify organizations that will effectively implement harm-reduction activities in 24 townships in Kachin State, Shan State and Sagaing, Mandalay and the Rangoon divisions. That programme will be worth $14.1 million, and will reach over 40,000 drug users, it said.
On Malaria, several health organizations will work with the Ministry of Health to improve the delivery of malaria services across 54 townships within Pegu Division, Tenasserim Division, and Kachin, Karenni, Karen and Mon states. Malaria is a major cause of death and illness in adults and children in Burma. Over three-quarters of the population live in malaria endemic areas.
