Former President Clinton to Launch Hospital Project in Malawi, Promote HIV/AIDS Program in Zambia

Former President Clinton on Friday during a one-day visit to Malawi is scheduled to launch a $70 million hospital project in the Neno district -- which is south of Malawi's capital, Blantyre -- local government minister George Chaponda said on Thursday, AFP/Independent Online reports (AFP/Independent Online, 7/19). Clinton is on an eight-day global tour of projects funded by the Clinton Foundation. On Tuesday, he visited a hospital in the Dominican Republic that provides treatment to HIV-positive children (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/19).

The Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative in Malawi will fund the construction of an 80-bed hospital and 23 staff houses, Chaponda said. Clinton on Friday also is scheduled to meet with President Bingu wa Mutharika in Blantrye.

According to AFP/Independent Online, Malawi faces an acute lack of health care workers as a result of about 120 registered nurses migrating annually to the United Kingdom and the U.S. for higher-paying jobs. A recent survey by the Ministry of Health found that one nurse serves 50 patients in most hospital wards and that the doctor-patient ratio is 64,000 people to one doctor (AFP/Independent Online, 7/19).

Clinton to Promote HIV/AIDS Program in Zambia
Clinton this weekend is scheduled to visit Zambia to promote an HIV/AIDS partnership between the Clinton Foundation and UNITAID, an organization formed by France and 19 other nations that have set aside a portion of their airline tax revenues for programs in developing countries, AFP/France24 reports.

The partnership has helped to increase the number of Zambian children with access to antiretroviral drugs by about 7,200 and now provides treatment to about 13,250 children, an agency spokesperson said. The Zambian government also is scheduled to join a $5 million UNITAID program that aims to increase access to second-line antiretrovirals in the country.

According to AFP/France24, at least 34 countries have signed up as donors to UNITAID -- the $300 million fund that aims to provide antiretrovirals to an additional 100,000 HIV-positive children worldwide this year, as well as to increase access to drugs for other diseases. UNITAID Board Chief Philippe Douste-Blazy and Zambian officials are scheduled to discuss the supply of new artemisinin-based combination therapies for malaria, as well as tuberculosis drugs (AFP/France24, 7/19). Clinton is scheduled to end his trip in Tanzania (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/19).

ABC News on Thursday reported on Clinton's Africa trip. The segment includes comments from Clinton (Snow, ABC News, 7/19). Video of the segment is available online.

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