§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what discussions the Department has had with the Bangladeshi Government concerning the incidence of tuberculosis in Bangladesh. [117845]
§ Hilary BennThe Government of Bangladesh recognises the high burden of TB and the inadequacy of existing mechanisms for addressing the disease. DFID is supporting the Government, through the Country Coordinating Mechanism of the Global fund for AIDS/ TB and Malaria, to secure significant additional resources for the national fight against TB. DFID works in Health sector in Bangladesh as part of a consortium of donor countries supporting the Sector Wide 769W Approach in Health. We are currently discussing with the Government a new phase of that programme focused on meeting the priority health needs of poor people, including TB.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what measures are being taken as part of health programmes run by the Department in Bangladesh to address the rates of tuberculosis. [117846]
§ Hilary BennDFID has provided £55 million to the Government of Bangladesh over the past five years in support of a Sector Wide Approach in the Health Sector, with the aim of strengthening service delivery for the whole range of public health problems. The Government of Bangladesh and Development Partners recognise that TB remains an important problem that has not yet been adequately addressed. DFID is supporting the Government's attempts to mobilise significant additional investment in TB, through the Global Fund for AIDS/TB and Malaria and will also seek to ensure that TB is prioritised in the next sector programme, which is currently being planned.
DFID is a major financier of the Global fund for AIDS/TB and Malaria, with an initial commitment of $200 million, over five years and a recently announced additional $80 million over a further two year period.