6, April 2005	Wednesday	26 Safar 1426

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PESHAWAR, April 5: The US-based humanitarian organisation, Global Fund, has given US$2 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for stepping up its efforts to eradicate tuberculosis and malaria from Pakistan. “Although, the high ups of the Global Fund had agreed in principle to extend the amount to Pakistan, they were reluctant to spend the money through government agencies and this could be the reason that special arrangements had been made to involve Basic Development Needs (BDN) projects in seven districts of the country”, a WHO official said.

The WHO official further said that when high authorities of the fund were requested to involve the government channels for proper utilisation of the money, they expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of Pakistani government departments and stressed on utilisation of the money through NGOs.

Now the grant would be spent through BDN programmes in seven districts— Nowshera and Peshawar in NWFP, Multan and Kasur in Punjab, Dadu in Sindh, Mastoon in Baluchistan and the urban belt of Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the WHO official added.

The BDN programme was initiated in 1996 and is in place in seven districts of the country. The program has been successful in empowerment of communities leading to tangible success in the realm of health and health-related sectors owing to volunteerism and leadership, particularly in vocational and literary skills.

The programme has thus practically demonstrated that proper mobilisation of communities coupled with suitably employing a network of women health volunteers, can significantly improve health and other socio economic indicators.

Furthermore, efforts for communicable disease control have been augmented through community involvement.

Through WHO sources this was also learnt that the investment would be channelised to reduce morbidity and mortality on account of Tuberculosis by expanding the TB-DOTS strategy through public health facilities and involving other stakeholders including the private sector and communities.

It merits a mention here that the DOTS programme had been continuing in the NWFP since 2001 and its management had been successful in achieving 70 per cent case-detection and 85 per cent cure rate in partnership with NGOs.

The managers of the TB control program are optimistic that although the programme would be restricted to Peshawar and Nowshera districts, the funds would further expedite the continued efforts in controlling the transfer of the disease to more suppressed and deprived class of society.

The provincial Malaria Control Program, that has mostly been effective in summer, would also get a boost in Peshawar and Nowshera. The management of the Malaria Control Program has also been optimistic believing that the amount to be spent through NGOs would help in softening their task of controlling Malaria disease in Peshawar and Nowshera.