Cambodian government officials and civil society representatives are meeting on Friday (Jan. 21) to outline an action plan toward addressing health concerns in the country after its proposals for funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria were rejected.
The rejection of Cambodia’s proposals was disappointing but has not caused any immediate funding shortfall, according to Pieter Van Maaren, the World Health Organization’s top official in the country, who explained that Cambodia can tap other funding sources to fill gaps that may occur.
However, the country will “face problems” supporting its HIV and tuberculosis programs if its proposals are not approved during the Global Fund’s next funding round, Van Maaren said, according to the Phnom Penh Post.
Meantime, some NGOs have said the rejection of the two proposals in the recently concluded funding round will still be felt to a large extent.
A spokesperson for the Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance estimated that thousands of children with whom they work will be affected. Oum Sopheap said that the group, which supports HIV-vulnerable children, will attempt to redesign its programs in order to stretch its budget.
