Pakistan ‘s Allocations For Public Health MDG Lagging

Despite U.N. Millennium Development Goals requiring the public health expenditure be raised to 2 percent of the GDP by 2015, currently 0.7 percent of Pakistan’s GDP has been allocated for the country’s health sector, the International News reports. “Pakistan is lagging behind in the areas including the proportion of births attended by the skilled birth attendants, contraceptive prevalence rate, total fertility rate and proportion of women 15-49 years who had given birth during last 3 years and made at least one antenatal care consultation,” the newspaper writes (Khalid, 6/15).

Uganda Receives Malaria Drugs From Global Fund

New Vision reports that Uganda has received $1.2 million worth of the malaria drug Coartem from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.  Describing the drug disbursement as “a relief,” New Vision writes, “Last year, the country was hit by a shortage of anti-malarials because the Global Fund was not satisfied with how the first installment for the purchase of the drugs was used” (Businge, New Vision, 6/15).

Christian Science Monitor Examines Clean Water Efforts In Dominican Republic

The Christian Science Monitor examines the work of two Americans seeking to provide clean water through the use of filters in the Dominican Republic. Bob Hildreth, who uses BioSand filters for his project, says, “Point-of-use water treatment needs to be adopted by all the developing countries in the world.” Lisa Ballantine, who improved upon the design of centuries old ceramic filters, says “The thing I like about [the] water [problem] is that we can solve it” (Velasquez-Manoff, Christian Science Monitor, 6/15).

Daily Monitor Examines Malnutrition In Uganda

The Daily Monitor examines malnutrition in Uganda. About 12 percent of women in Uganda are malnourished and 38 percent of children are underweight, according to the 2008 Human Development Index. Robert Mwadime, the regional senior nutrition adviser for the Academy for Education Development/Food and Nutrition, said malnutrition is projected to cost Uganda about $920 million between 2006 and 2016 (Mashoo, Daily Monitor, 6/13).