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Fighting
Tubercloisis (TB) and HIV and AIDS are among the top
priorities of the Government of Lesotho (GOL), the Honorable
Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dr. Mphu Ramatlapeng
said this during the official opening of the annual review
meeting held in Maseru on Thursday July 15, 2010.
However, Dr.
Ramatlapeng said, the Government on its own cannot have
sufficient resources to scale up interventions to reverse
challenges posed by the two diseases and acknowledged Global
Fund for its contribution to help Lesotho in the fight
against TB and HIV.
 
Caption: the Minister of Health officiates annual Review
meeting. FPM Mrs. Patience Musanhu and GFCU NC Mrs. Nkhala
Sefako
“In 2009 alone,
under the Round 8, the Global Fund approved the funds worth
USD $49.9million to combat HIV/AIDS and Health Strengthening
System (HSS) together with USD $7.7 million for addressing
MDR TB in Lesotho .In the same year USD $33m was approved
under Round 9 to support education and welfare of Orphans
and Vulnerable Children,” she added.
The funds will
be utilized to support programs and interventions aimed at
reducing incidence of new infections in both the general and
specific populations, provision of quality treatment of HIV
and TB patients, strengthening of a decentralized health
system that supports the scaling up of coordinated HIV, TB
and STI intervention as well as improving HIV and AIDS
related policies and programs in both the private and public
sector.
Dr. Ramatlapeng
pointed out that these funds couldn’t have come at a better
time when the world is faced with the unprecedented economic
meltdown which has compelled the Governments to reduce
expenditure.
She said that
the Government of Lesotho will therefore endeavor to ensure
that the Global Fund grants are utilized efficiently and
effectively to benefit the intended beneficiaries. She
commended the Lesotho PR for good coordination of
implementation and reporting.
Speaking at the
same occasion, the Global Fund Coordinating Unit (GFCU)
National Coordinator Mrs. Nkhala Sefako indicated that
Lesotho has so far implemented Round 2 HIV and TB, Round 5
HIV, Round 6 TB and Round 7HIV. Meanwhile both Round 2
grants ended on June 2010 while Round 5 is consolidated to
Round 8.
Recently in
2009, Round 8 HIV/HSS and TB as well as Round 9 HIV were
approved. Round 8 HIV/HSS implementation started on January
2010 while Round 8 TB and Round 9 have not yet started
implementation.
Mrs. Sefako
mentioned that the GF funds are mobilized to contribute in
the national response to HIV and AIDS as well as TB. In HIV
and AIDS, the interventions focuses on prevention, care and
support, impact mitigation, governance and monitoring and
evaluation, while in TB intervention focuses on
strengthening DOTS, TB case detection, improving treatment
outcomes and empowering communities and people infected with
TB.
She highlighted
the major challenge that hinders project implementation is
the late disbursement of funds as well as reduction of
disbursement against the request which she said affect both
Principal and Sub Recipients. Other challenge is the late
submission of SR reports.
Expressing word
of encouragement, the Fund Portfolio Manager for Lesotho
from Geneva Mrs. Patience Musanhu commended Lesotho for good
work in grant implementation. This success could not be
achieved by PR alone but through collaboration with Sub
Recipients, Sub Sub Recipients, stakeholders, CCM members,
UN agencies, private and academic sector, people live with
diseases, civil society and above all the Government of
Lesotho.
Similar meeting
is held annually to share successes and challenges and agree
on the way forward in order to improve the country
performance in grant implementation. During the meeting the
PR and SR made presentation to reflect their 2009
performance. The participants also watch the field video
documentary to see the progress of implementation and the
benefit of the implemented programmes to the beneficiaries.
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