Cambodian Drugs Funding Crisis

Cambodia's drugs budget has been put on hold after Germany's decision tosuspend all development aid to the country because of political tensions there, reports the Phnom Penh Post.

Health Ministry officials say the suspension of German aid may seriously jeopardize progress in treating such diseases as tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS. One senior official said a reduction in available medicines would be a "very big problem," while another feared a "serious health epidemic." There are about 200 drugs on the essential medicines list of the Ministry's procurement office in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital.

The German aid included a deal to provide the Ministry with 16 million Deutschemarks ($9 million) over the next three years. Most of this amount was earmarked for the purchase of essential drugs, and the rest for AIDS prevention work and the purchase of contraceptives. A pharmacist working with Medicins Sans Frontieres noted the potential problem of resistance forming to antibiotics if there was a break in treatment of tuberculosis with drugs.