Aids Global Fund suspends aid to Zambian government
The Global Fund to fight Aids has suspended aid payments to Zambia’s Ministry of Health because of accusations of corruption. The fund will now give the money to the UN's development programme.
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The Ministry of Health, which was the principal recipient for several grants, has been under investigation since May 2009 for fraudulent transactions.
The fund plans to give the part the Ministry was responsible for to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and hopes to be sending it the cash within a month.
Jon Liden of the Global Fund to Fight Aids
“The amount of money that was misdirected was not large enough to affect significantly people on the ground. We manage to stop the abuse before it goes to that level,” Jon Liden, Unit Director Communications told RFI.
The 146 million euros of grants that is sent to other non-governmental organisations such as the Church Association of Zambia have not been affected by the decision.
Patients are still receiving treatment, despite the freeze, Liden says.
The decision to suspend part of the aid in the African country was made at a meeting in Geneva in April. It followed an audit that uncovered strong evidence of fraud and other irregularities.
The government failed to take action after being notified of the report's findings, the fund says.
The freeze became public when Aidspan, a group which works with the Global Fund, posted the decision on its website on Monday. The fund issued a statement two days later.
The Netherlands also suspended 13 million euros in aid to Zambia’s health sector last year, because of alleged corruption.
The Global Fund is the main donor to Zambia’s health service. Its funds go to fight Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.
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