Gov’t could be left with multimillion-dollar AIDS fight

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Health Edson Joseph has suggested, as international agencies withdraw funding, the government will soon be left with a multi-million dollar bill to fight HIV and AIDS. “Most of the funding agencies, the Global Fund, Clinton Foundation, they are gradually withdrawing the assistance we got and probably within another four years, we will see HIV programmes will have to be sustained by the government,” Joseph said. The health permanent secretary said he expects costs to gradually increase for the government here.