E-DRUG: India designated 16th PEPFAR country
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Coincidence?
Rachel
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Rachel M. Cohen
U.S. Director, Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)
333 Seventh Avenue, 2nd Floor * New York, NY * 10001-5004 * USA
Tel: +1-212-655-3762
Mobile: +1-917-331-9077
Fax: +1-212-679-7016
E-mail: rachel.cohen@newyork.msf.org
Press Release
Source: USINPAC
India Designated 16th Country in President Bush's Emergency Plan for
HIV/AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Funds
Friday March 18, 9:06 am ET
WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 17, 2005, separate House and
Senate bills designated India as the 16th country to receive President
Bush's Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funds.
The House bill was sponsored by Representatives Lee (D-TX), Leach (R-IA),
Ackerman (D-NY), Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Faleomavaega (D-AS), Pallone (D-NJ),
Lantos (D-CA) and Crowley (D-NY). Senator Corzine (D-NJ) also introduced a
Senate companion bill on March 17.
More than 4.5 million Indians are believed to have the HIV virus, and the
epidemic is spreading rapidly from urban to rural areas and from high-risk
groups to the general population.
Talking to USINPAC about this much anticipated bill, Representative Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Co-Chair of the House Caucus on India and Indian-
Americans, and possible future chair of the powerful House International
Relations Committee said, "President Bush's three main goals for PEPFAR are
to prevent seven million new cases of HIV by 2008, to treat two million
infected people, and to care for ten million individuals affected by
HIV/AIDS. By designating India as the 16th country under PEPFAR, the
President will meet and surpass these three goals." She continued, "As
co-chair of the India Caucus, I support adding India as the 16th country
under PEPFAR."
Congressman Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS), who met with the USINPAC 2005 India
Delegation in New Delhi, said, "India already has the second most cases of
HIV/AIDS in the world and will have the most cases in the world within 6
years. Action must be taken now to combat this disease and I commend
USINPAC for working closely with Members of Congress and other vested
stakeholders to make sure that this issue receives the national and
international attention it deserves."
Manish Antani, Legislative Director of USINPAC said, "I am very excited
that USINPAC's hard work for two years has brought to fruition House and
Senate bills designating India to be the 16th country under the PEPFAR
funds. USINPAC will continue to work closely with Members of Congress to
create greater awareness of the urgency of the HIV/AIDS crisis in India."
In South Asia and beyond, India is a shining example of democracy,
pluralism, and the global economic interconnectedness that is a vital
source of international stability. Increased investment in all aspects of
the US- India relationship will pay enormous dividends for decades to come.
About USINPAC
USINPAC is a united, strong and clear voice representing the Indian
American community on Capitol Hill, the White House and the State Capitols.
We promote issues that are shaped by the emerging concerns of our
community. Our mission is to ensure effective representation on issues of
concern to Indian Americans. To that end, we provide bipartisan support to
candidates for public office who address the community's concerns. For
additional information about USINPAC please visit the website at
http://www.usinpac.com.