Wednesday 24th April 2024
The Nepali Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has sparked massive controversy after its latest statement regarding ‘Save the Children, Nepal.’
The Health Ministry has claimed that ‘Save the Children’ faked data related to HIV infected Nepalis and garnered huge funds from The Global Fund.
The Global Fund has been supporting HIV patients in Nepal by providing funds based on the number of infections.
The Ministry said that the organization received NPR 230 million from The Global Fund by faking the number of HIV infected patients in Nepal. It claims that Save the Children faked 1,888 cases of HIV infections.
According to the National AIDS and Sexual Disease Control Center, Save the Children reported to The Global Fund that it had provided service to 17,987 HIV patients in the FY 2019/20.
However, as per the government records, the number of HIV infections is just 16,099.
“The disparity between the government data and Save the Children is unnatural. It is wrong that the data is different. We will look into the case, and they will be interrogated,” said Dr. Sudha Devkota, Director of HIV Aids and Sexual Disease Control Center.
Meanwhile, Badri Gyawali, Director at Integrated National Health Information System, said that the fake numbers were revealed as the MoHP has started collecting the data on its own from the last two years.
“We used to collect data in coordination with Save the Children, but it’s been two years since the Ministry has taken this responsibility. And then the fake number was traced,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rajyashree Kunwar of Save the Children condemned the statement by the MoHP, stating that the data of the HIV infections are regularly reported to the Global Fund.
“Save the children works in coordination with the government’s Center for HIV AIDS, and our duty is to help the government defeat HIV/AIDS. I do not know how the data came out differently,” she said.
Save the Children is the leading child-focused organization in Nepal and has been working in the country since 1976.
Global Fund is one of the projects of Save the Children in Nepal, which implements programs for combating HIV, AIDS, TB, and Malaria, among other health issues.
