[Pharm-policy] Zambia rejects World Bank anti-AIDS loan

[James Love]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_967000/967491.stm
Wednesday, 11 October, 2000, 15:24 GMT 16:24 UK 
Zambia rejects World Bank anti-AIDS loan

Zambia has rejected the offer of a World Bank loan to fund the fight
against AIDS. 

The loan was to have been Zambia's share of a total of nearly
four-billion dollars which is being offered to several southern
African states. 

The Zambian health minister, David Mpamba, said the reason for the
rejection was the World Bank's precondition that the money be directed
at AIDS research and consultancy, whereas Zambia wants to target its
efforts at acquiring cheap drugs to combat AIDS. 

An estimated twenty percent of Zambia's adult poulation is infected
with HIV. 

The minister also said that Zambia was not in a position to take
onexternal loans when it cannot service the country's existing debts. 

 Malawi has also rejected a similar loan offer. 

 From the newsroom of the BBC World Service 

-- 
James Love, Consumer Project on Technology
v. 1.202.387.8030, fax 1.202.234.5176
love@cptech.org, http://www.cptech.org