Rs 19 cr pact signed with WHO to contain TB: US official

Chennai, Dec 9 (UNI) The US has signed a joint agreement with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to provide Rs 19 crore for treatment of tuberculosis (TB) patients in India.

Addressing the Indian Chapter of American College of Chest Physicians which had organised 'Dr M Santosham Oration' on prevention of pneumonia mortality in children here today, Consul for Public Affairs at the American Consulate General here Frederick J Kaplan pointed out that India was one of the countries assisted through the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS relief popularly known as PEPFAR.

PEPFAR had granted 30 million US Dollor to India for the fight against HIV/AIDS last year, as part of a worldwide programme of 15 billion US dollor aid.

''In September this year, US Ambassador David Mulford had visited the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine at Tambaram, which is India's leading centre for the anti-retroviral treatment of HIV/AIDS,'' he said adding that it had received extensive support through PEPFAR from the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

The CDC, the US agency for International Development (USAID), and the National Institute of Health and other US agencies were working in India to support healthcare research and implementation, Mr Kaplan added.

In addition to work against HIV/AIDS and TB, efforts were focused on maternal-child health, and eradication of polio, malaria and other infectious diseases.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss in his message, which was read out in his absence, paid rich tributes to Dr M Santosham for his yeoman service to the community and his work on tuberculosis which began prior to World War II, when no anti-tubercular drugs were available in the world.

The Union Minister also pointed out that pneumonia is estimated to cause over three million deaths every year in the world and added that in India it claimed betweeen five to six lakh lives.

UNI RV JJ SP BD1538