Indonesia Provides Three Provinces With Funding to Heighten HIV/AIDS Efforts

The Indonesia National AIDS Commission, or KPAN, recently provided the provinces of East Java, Bali and South Sulawesi with funding in an effort to increase HIV/AIDS responses in the regions, the Jakarta Post reports. The funding was worth 44.25 billion rupiah, or $4.25 million, and came from a Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria grant. National AIDS Commission Secretary Nafsiah Mboi said she hopes stakeholders would appropriately direct funding toward solutions to address critical issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the regions. She added, "All stakeholders need to back each other to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, as the disease is currently spreading fast, infecting mostly teenagers or people in their productive age." According to Mboi, 21.11 billion rupiah, or $2.02 million, will be allocated to East Java; 10.85 billion rupiah, or $1.04 million, will be given to Bali; and 12.27 billion rupiah, or about $1.17 million, will be directed to South Sulawesi.

East Java Deputy Governor Syaifullah Yusuf said that the province ranks second in the number of people with HIV/AIDS, adding that the province previously ranked third. "This shows there is still much action needed to solve the problem," he said. East Java's government has allocated 1.2 billion rupiah, or about $1.1 million, from its 2009 provincial budget to put toward HIV/AIDS efforts -- an increase from the 780 million rupiah, or about $79,800, allocated last year (Jayakarna/Harahap, Jakarta Post, 5/6).