Global Fund invests D28 million in Gambia to fight HIV, others

By Olimatou Coker Noemin Cambray, monitoring and evaluation specialist of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, has disclosed that the global body has laid out D28 million for HIV, malaria, and TB programs in The Gambia for this year and next. Cambray revealed this at the lunch of a National Health Accounts 2016, 2017, organised at the NaNA conference hall in Kanifing South. She said there is also a big component on health system strengthening and as part of this component “we are financing national health accounts.” Dawda Ceesay, permanent secretary at the ministry of health, stated that over the years, health accounts have provided critical health financing information required to inform strategic programme decisions that will enable development partners to direct their support in a way that has the greatest impact on health outcomes. Ceesay equipped that the production and the use of credible financial data is critical for sound governance of the health sector. He said: “As we launch the 2016 and 2017 health accounts study for The Gambia, it will be necessary to highlight the National Health Accounts is a framework for tracking the flow of all health funds public, private, households and donors in a country. It is intended to inform policy process.” According to Ceesay, the current survey NHA 2015, the findings of which “we are sharing today will also be useful for subsequent evidence based on health policy. It is important to see the government and health development partners, particularly the Global Fund by WHO showing commitment in the tracking of health spending through the Health Accounts survey.” Momodou Ceesay, a WHO health economist, also spoke at the event.]]>