Global Fund and LA Times in dispute over African aid

A recent report by the California, USA, newspaper the Los Angeles Times has been criticized by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, over an assessment of the effectiveness of the latter's aid efforts. The original article claimed that programs, including the Global Fund, that are supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have had mixed fortunes in improving health in subSaharan Africa in the 2003-2005 period. The LA Times echoed complaints made by think-tanks such as the UK's International Policy Network and the US Hudson Institute, that a focus on a few diseases has contributed to staff shortages for other health care priorities, including childhood pneumonia.

The newspaper quoted data from UNICEF which finds that, in recent years, 40% of subSaharan children with pneumonia symptoms and only 30% with diarrhea have a chance of receiving appropriate treatment.

In response, the Global Fund stated that many of its programs launched since 2006 have not had time to show evidence of health improvements.