BURMESE AIDS PROGRAM
January 4, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
A program that would have tripled the number of people receiving subsidized HIV and AIDS medication in Burma has been canceled as the country’s government imposes restrictions on the import and export of medical supplies, reports The Washington Post. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a charity in Geneva, decided to stop paying for the $87-million program in August, leaving remaining aid officials in the country divided over what should be done to continue such work in Burma. Government officials deny the nation has an AIDS problem, but health experts say the rate of infection is one of the worst in Asia. Critics say relief programs in Burma are hampered by its corrupt government and do not benefit those who need help, but the United Nations and other aid organizations say they are able to work independently of the government.
