By Veronica Mohapeloa
HEALTH Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has expressed satisfaction that "misconceptions" regarding funds from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria have been clarified.
This follows an apology the minister received from the global funds' executive director Richard Feachem, for "any irritation and pressure caused by my comments to the media in London" about a week ago.
The Fund also said it had not threatened to withdraw any funds from South Africa, contrary to some media reports. Professor Feachem's media interview gave rise to media reports that the South African government had delayed the disbursement of Global Fund grants to local beneficiaries.
The Health Department reacted immediately to refute these claims, giving precise details of the grant received and transferred to local organizations. Dr Tshabalala-Msimang also wrote directly to Professor Feachem, objecting to his failure to discuss matters directly with the SA government and resorting to the media as the first avenue of communication.
She also placed before him a record of Global Transfers made to beneficiaries within the country. The document also highlighted that grants made in the second and third round allocations had yet to be disbursed by the Fund.
In a statement, the department said every cent received by it and the National Treasury on behalf of the recipients had been passed on to the organisations for which they were meant.
The first batch of just over US17-million, meant for LoveLife, Soul City and the KwaZulu-Natal government, was transferred from the fund to the Treasury on 19 December 2003. By the end of January this money had been transferred to the National Department of Health - the channel for the LoveLife and Soul City grants - and the KwaZulu-Natal Treasury.
During February, Soul City, LoveLife and various organisations in KwaZulu-Natal all received their money. The department also said that in April, the first steps were taken to secure the second disbursement for the same recipients. "Dr Tshabalala-Msimang is satisfied that all misconceptions around the projects supported by the Global Fund have been clarified," said the health department.
The Fund said through its seat on the Global Fund Board, South Africa played an important role in the governance of the fund. "We are encouraged by recent progress and are confident that the programmes supported by the Global Fund will contribute substantially to South Africa's struggle with HIV and AIDS."
It said it remained committed to working with the South African government to find joint solutions to bottlenecks to ensure rapid and efficient implementation of the Global Fund-financed programmes in South Africa. To date, the Global Fund has approved proposals for HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care worth US $234 million over five years to South Africa.
The Global Fund is a unique global public-private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. It works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organisations to supplement existing efforts dealing with the three diseases. It has so far committed $2.1 billion to 225 programmes in 121 countries.
Apart from a high standard of technical quality, the Fund said it attached no conditions to any of its grants and relied on local ownership and planning to ensure that new resources were directed to programmes on the frontline of this global effort, reaching those most in need.
"Its performance-based approach to grant making - where grants are only disbursed if progress has been measured and verified - is designed to ensure that funds are used efficiently and create real change for people and communities." All programmes are monitored by independent organisations contracted by the Global Fund to ensure that its funding had real impact in the fight against the three pandemics.
Source: - BuaNews
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