DUSHANBE, February 6, Asia-Plus - The Community and Basic Health project funded by the World Bank, the governments of Switzerland and Sweden will be launched in Tajikistan in April this year and 17.2 million U.S dollars have been provided in grants for implementation of this project.  

Ms. Mahbuba Sheraliyeva, head of this project, remarked this at a briefing in Dushanbe on February 3.  According to her, the project aims to increase access to utilization of, and patient satisfaction with health services in project-supported areas, and to built capacity and efficiency at national levels in administering a basic package of health and introducing financing reforms in primary health care.  According to her, the World Bank awards a grant of US$10 million, the Swiss Government provides US$1.2 million and the Swedish Government provides US$6 million.   

The project will be implemented in 41 districts of Sughd and Khatlon provinces or support 65 percent of the country’s population.  “In some districts of these provinces, a network of medical facilities of primary medical and sanitary aid will be renewed,” Ms. Sheraliyeva said, noting that it means rehabilitation of 70 medical facilities that will be provided with up-to-date equipment and medical technologies.  

Besides, the project provides for implementation of programs on work with communities under additional financing provided by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).  She also noted that the implementation of the first project on primary medical-sanitary aid funded by long-term loans provided by the World Bank (US$5.6 million), the Tajik government (US$540,000) and the grant awarded by the Swiss Government (US$300,000) had allowed constructing 26 rural health centers, including 17 medical facilities in Danghara and 9 in Varzob district. 

Besides, during the implementation of the project (2000-2005) 54 doctors and 178 middle medical personnel for these medical facilities were trained anew, which 90%-95% pf personnel working with primary health care facilities of these two districts.