PESHAWAR, Feb 16: The World Health Organization has asked the provincial health department to submit proposals for small research grants to control tropical and other communicable diseases.

Officials said WHO had listed 21 diseases for which small research grants would be released provided the department sent proposals by Feb 29. However, the health directorate has sent only two proposals as yet; one each on water and sanitation and malaria control in the province.

Each research programme would get $10,000 as a grant under the Small Grants Scheme (SGS), officials said. Many of the diseases contained in the WHO's list were prevalent in the NWFP, the official said and added that the department needed to prepare proposals for all the listed diseases on a priority basis.

The WHO's list includes bloody diarrhoea, haemorrhagic fever, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, leprosy, malaria, meningitis, rabies, TB, vaccine preventable disease, measles, rubella, neonatal tetanus, hepatitis B and influenza B.

"WHO will allocate $210,000 for all the 21 research proposals, but the department has so far sent only two proposals, which means that the province will lose $190,000 and will receive only $20,000," said a source.