HC Deb 24 June 2003 vol 407 cc689-90W
Mr. Sarwar

To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what progress has been made with the Department's support for tuberculosis(a) vaccination and (b) treatment in Pakistan. [121302]

Hilary Benn

DFID has just agreed a new 4-year DFID initiative to improve the health of poor people in Pakistan. The national health and population welfare facility (NHF) will support the Government of Pakistan's efforts to achieve the ambitious targets set-out in the national health and population policies and in the interim-poverty reduction strategy paper. The achievement of these targets includes the strengthening of the directly observed treatment schedule (DOTS) for treatment of tuberculosis through the national tuberculosis programme. The NHF will provide (a) £60 million budget support to national health and population programmes, one of which is the national tuberculosis programme and (b) provide technical assistance to improve policy making and programme management.

The NHF will commence in March 2003, with the first disbursement of financial aid planned for August 2003.

Back to