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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #6192 2761419
ZNY EEEEE ZZH(SVC FOR NO PARA  2 MARKING)
R 031419Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1805

UNCLAS E F T O CAIRO 006192 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/GAC-MJEFFERS, PMAMACOS AND JMAZZONE 
USAID/GH FOR MMILLER AND JWRIGHT 
HHS FOR WSTEIGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KHIV EAID SOCI TBIO EG
SUBJECT: EMBASSY CAIRO RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS AND THE GLOBAL 
FUND: PARALLEL REVIEW PROCESS FOR ROUND SIX PROJECTS 
 
REF: STATE 158244 
 
Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Per reftel, Embassy Cairo comments on the the Global 
Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria Parallel Review Process follow. 
Responses are keyed to format in reftel. 
 
¶2. Country:       Egypt 
Region: Middle East 
Title: Support for the National Plan for the Control of TB 
Plus 
 
¶A. Proposing Group:  National CCM 
Year 1: $2,898,934 
Year 2: $2,276,614 
Year 3: $1,469,614 
Year 4: $1,409,614 
Year 5: $1,410,614 
Total Request: $ 9,465,390 
 
¶B. Overall comments and recommendation for U.S. delegation 
position:  With impressive gains in the provision of quality 
maternal and child health services, including tuberculosis, 
Egypt is making noteworthy progress to meet the Millennium 
Development Goals. GOE disease surveillance and response 
capabilities are well-positioned to operate in a sustainable 
manner as demonstrated by the success of the directly 
observed, short-course (DOTS) strategy against tuberculosis. 
The Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) faces major 
challenges including system-wide financial inefficiency, 
regional disparities in health services and limited access 
for the poor and vulnerable.   Tuberculosis activities 
contained in this proposal will improve TB case detection and 
control for populations of significance, most notably the 
rural poor, urban slum dwellers, prisoners and refuges. 
 
¶C. Comments on the TRP review:  Post concurs with TRP review; 
the comments are relevant and appropriate. In particular, the 
TRP identified issues of insufficient clarity regarding the 
participation of private sector providers and the financial 
gap calculation. Should the proposal receive funding, 
beneficiary tracking, effectiveness of the referral system 
and its impact on raising case detection rates will require 
monitoring. 
 
¶D. Other public health and scientific considerations: N/A 
 
¶E. Coordination with other partners:  TB program 
implementation has been strong historically, principally 
funded by the Netherlands, USAID and, in 2004, the GFATM 
Round 2 Grant. No formal coordination mechanism exists. The 
MOHP acts in a transparent manner with bilateral and UN 
agencies for TB and HIV/AIDS.  In addition to the GFATM 
Grant, the GOE TB program currently receives assistance from 
WHO and JICA. USAID supports a communication effort for 
private sector pharmacists to detect chronic cough and refer 
clients. 
 
The CCM is minimally functional. 
 
¶F. Political Considerations:  Health is one of the GOE's 
high-priority sectors, with a dynamic and visionary minister 
appointed nine months ago. Under his leadership, the Ministry 
of Health and Population is undergoing a significant and 
broad reaching reform process to improve the health care 
system.  The long-range MOHP restructuring plan will require 
short-term gains in high-quality primary care services with 
seven priority areas identified to achieve fast and felt 
changes. Outreach activities for underserved populations to 
be funded in this proposal will assist the MOHP in its 
efforts to enhance community confidence in GOE health 
services. 
 
¶G. Additional Comments: N/A 
 
¶H. Embassy POC: 
Holly Fluty-Dempsey 
USAID/Egypt 
e-mail   hdempsey@usaid.gov 
RICCIARDONE