Global Fund seeks India's support for health spending

by pankaj kumar | September 9, 2010 at 07:16 pm

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In a telephonic interview from New Delhi, Professor Kazatchkine said: “My first objective is to ask the Indian government for political support in our advocacy effort to replenish the Global Fund.

Michel D. Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund (GF) to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, arrived in India on Tuesday to get greater Indian support and funding for global health spending ahead of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) summit in New York.

While he signed agreements with some new partners and promoted community-ownership of projects, Professor Kazatchkine's primary task is to meet top government officials and the Union Health and Finance Ministers to solicit political support in the advocacy efforts to replenish the GF.

Disease burden

India's position is perceived to be critical at two levels — as a country with a significant disease burden, and also as one being looked up to for leadership in keeping the focus on health issues