The Inter-American Development Bank announced the approval today of a $1 million grant to Haiti to support the design and implementation of a national plan to provide basic health services and to fight HIV/AIDS.
The resources will assist the government in drafting a national strategic plan, with the participation of civil society organizations, to combat HIV/AIDS. Mechanisms will be created to establish priorities and establish costs for the progressive execution of the plan and for the design of a system of supervision and evaluation.
The program will strengthen at least two municipalities outside of the capital in order to integrate them into the existing networks of community and social services to assist persons suffering from HIV/AIDS.
"This program will strengthen the capacity of local organizations, particularly those serving persons with HIV/AIDS, and will contribute to reduce social exclusion and vulnerability associated with AIDS," said the IDB Project Team Leader Wolfgang Munar. "The experiences with this initiative will enable us to disseminate best practices among key sectors, such as nongovernment organizations, the communications media, health servers and local and provincial authorities," he added.
An initiative to ensure the safety of the blood supply will improve the capacity to detect HIV and other infectious diseases through testing will support the Health Ministry in the area of regulation and supervision for the country’s blood supply and distribution.
The IDB is financing the project in the context of an international effort to support a strategic plan to fight HIV/AIDS in Haiti. Among the other organizations participating in this campaign are the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, the Canadian International Development Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Pan American Health Organization.