Indian Health Ministry Receives $3.4B Budget Allocation To Expand Health Care Services, Including HIV/AIDS Programs

India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has been allocated $3.4 billion for this year's budget, an increase of $886 million from last year, to expand health care services in the country, including HIV/AIDS programs, the Press Trust of India reports (Press Trust of India, 2/28). In addition, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram has proposed allocating $219 million from the health ministry's budget to the third phase of the National AIDS Control Organization's National AIDS Control Program (IANS/RxPG News, 2/28). The third phase of NACP is scheduled to launch on April 1. About $466 million was allocated to the second phase of the National AIDS Control Program (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 1/22). Chidambaram on Thursday said that the government has brought HIV/AIDS "out of the closet" and promised to make efforts to stop the spread of HIV in the country. He added that more hospitals in India will provide access to HIV/AIDS treatment to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (Press Trust of India, 2/28). In addition, NACP's third phase will begin to target high-risk populations in all Indian states (IANS/RxPG News, 2/28).