The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Health Institute of the Carlos Slim Foundation, Spanish government and Inter-American Development Bank have launched a five-year initiative to improve health services in Central America and Southern Mexico.
The foundations and the Spanish government are each contributing USD50 million to the Salud Mesoamerica 2015 initiative, which will focus on reproductive health, maternal and neonatal health, maternal and child nutrition, immunization, and prevention and control of dengue and malaria.
“Our foundation does a lot of innovation in terms of new drugs and new vaccines and what you need is both science to invent new tools and innovation and delivery to put those tools out,” Bill Gates said was quoted by Reuters. “I’m sure that we’ll find ways to work together on both aspects of improving health.”
Under SM2015, the amount accessible for partner nations is based on their poverty and health inequality status. IDB will oversee the initiative.
The health scheme will be implemented in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama, Agence France-Presse reports. Gates, Carlos Slim and Spain’s Princess Cristina announced the initiative June 14 in Mexico City, according to BBC.
