Press Release

OPEC FUND EXTENDS US$5 MILLION LOAN TO MADAGASCAR TO PREVENT COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

03/2005 January 12, 2005, Vienna, Austria

The OPEC Fund for International Development today signed a US$5 million loan agreement with the Republic of Madagascar to co-finance a project aimed at reducing the incidence of communicable diseases by constructing blood transfusion centers, expanding health care infrastructure and implementing capacity building measures across the entire health sector.

Despite government's focus on meeting the basic health needs of the population, health indicators in Madagascar remain poor, with preventable illnesses such as tuberculosis, malaria, and diarrheal diseases the chief causes of morbidity. Concern is also growing over the rising incidence of HIV/AIDS and blood-borne and sexually transmitted diseases such as hepatitis and syphilis. Only around 58% of the population has access to basic health services and wide disparities in coverage exist between urban and rural regions.

In order to reduce the spread of blood-borne illnesses, the project will construct a national blood transfusion center in the capital Antananarivo, along with six provincial and 32 district-level transfusion centers. All facilities will be fully equipped with pharmaceuticals, together with materials for the safe collection, storage and handling of blood supplies. Existing capacities for disease prevention, diagnosis and care will be reinforced by rehabilitating 20 health centers and building six new ones. Patients will be able to receive treatment free of charge and on an anonymous basis. A monitoring facility to house an AIDS Observatory will also be built in Antananarivo. Sensitization campaigns will be carried out to educate the population in areas covering hygiene, prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases and eliminating vectors for disease through improved sanitation.

Madagascar has previously received OPEC Fund loans totaling over US$111 million. This amount includes loans for balance of payments support and projects in the energy, transportation, agriculture and education sectors. The country has also benefited from two technical assistance grants in the areas of agriculture and energy.

Today's agreement was signed in Vienna by H.E. Benjamin A. Radavidson, the Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget of the Republic of Madagascar, and by H.E. Mr. Jamal Nasser Lootah, Chairman of the Governing Board of the OPEC Fund.

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