13 September 2012 - Geneva - The Global Fund Board is today discussing a new funding allocation model that would cap the proportion of funding available to tuberculosis (TB) projects at 16%.
The proposed allocation, which is based on the proportion of grants awarded to TB in the past, met with strong objections from the community of people working on TB worldwide. As of today, more than 80 individuals and organizations have expressed their support for a paper written by the Stop TB Department of the World Health Organization and the Stop TB Partnership.
The paper states that the proposed 16% cap would have hugely adverse effects on recent progress against the TB epidemic and would widen the global TB funding gap currently standing at more than US$ 2 billion per year. A funding allocation based on mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYS) or the global funding gap would be more appropriate and provide a share of between 22% to 34% for TB, the paper argues.
The advocates call on the Global Fund Board to adopt an allocation model that responds to regional needs, rather than putting one disease against another. If an allocation per disease approach is adopted, this should be an interim measure lasting only one year and TB should receive a minimum of 20% of available funding, the paper says.
Commenting on the paper, Benedict Xaba, the Minister of Health for Swaziland and Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board member, said: "The Kingdom of Swaziland, as one of the countries with the highest TB rates in the world, fully supports the argument. We are pleased that now TB is now gaining the attention it deserves globally. The recent signing of the TB and mining declaration by the Southern African Development Community heads of state shows the commitment of countries in the fight against TB. We should take advantage of this opportunity now and be very aggressive."