Thursday, March 29, 2007

Cambodia still needs 36 mln USD for TB elimination project

March 29, 2007

Cambodia is negotiating with donors for 36 million U.S. dollars to support a five-year national project to eliminate tuberculosis, local media reported on Thursday.

Between 11 and 20 percent of the budget, not including financial assistance for food rations from the World Food Program (WFP) and spending for technical experts and community tuberculosis project expansion, is needed for the provision of medicines and salaries respectively, said Mao Tan Eng, Director of the National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control (NCTLC).

"The need of budget for food and other supplementary is very important for the national tuberculosis elimination project," he said, noting that the project is being funded by the Global Fund, the World Bank, the Japanese government, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the World Health Organization and other NGOs.

As TB patients are generally poor in Cambodia, the supply of food under WFP sponsorship is a vital factor for the project's success, he was quoted by Cambodian daily newspaper the Rasmei Kampuchea as saying.

According to NCTLC, the rate of lung tuberculosis incidence in Cambodia has experienced a slight decrease from 241 out of 100,000 in 1979 to 226 at current times.

Source: Xinhua

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