US$13m set for TB programme

GLOBAL Fund (GF) has made an interim grant allocation of US$13 million to the country for the transition period from 2013-14 for the national tuberculosis programme (NTP).
The fund launched a new funding model for full successful applicants in 2014 for three years.
But PNG will receive the interim grant for a year.
The transitional grants from GF was secured after successful advocacy from Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Michael Malabag, Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato, Health Secretary Pascoe Kase and chair of the country GF coordinating mechanism Lady Roselyn Morauta and national TB partners.
The US$13 million falls under the category of countries that are facing service interruptions in a bridging funding arrangement for 12 months to avoid disruptions to ongoing TB programmes until the new financing arrangement is in place.
The total government funding for TB programme exceeds K15 million for 2013 thus ensuring the continuation of the TB programme and services including the life saving fixed dose combination treatment for TB patients.
As required by the GF new funding model, the government’s allocation of K15,135,000 to contain TB in 2013 is exceeding the 20% cut off mark for grant recipient country counterpart funding.
With this commitment from the government in complying with GF requirements, PNG is likely to be considered for access to additional funds for TB in 2014-16 through the full new funding model process.
Of the government’s 2013 allocation, K9 million is earmarked for drugs, logistics and laboratory supplies, K4 million to World Vision in a grant and K2.1million to the NTP activities.
The Health Department has placed the order for the next year’s supplies of TB drugs with global drug facility and payment is being processed.
The department is also conducting a TB drug-resistant survey with funding support from AusAID.
Already Gene-X-pert machines were procured and installed in Daru, central public health laboratory in Port Moresby and Lae to improve the testing for TB and identify drug-resistant cases.