Thousands of frontline community health workers and field staff in a USAID-funded tuberculosis project had been laid off after the United States froze funding, a Cambodian health organisation chief said.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending all US foreign development assistance programmemes for 90 days on Jan 20.
Choub Sok Chamreun, executive director of Khana, a leading non-governmental organisation, which received USAID fund for undertaking TB prevention, care and treatment supports in 27 districts of nine provinces, said on Tuesday that until now, the NGO has not received any notice on whether the project could be resumed.
He said Khana is a prime NGO in a group of local NGOs that had carried out the TB project funded by USAID.
“There is no fund to cover the lost fund from USAID,” he said.
“Some 5,000 community health workers and 200 field staff were laid off since late February due to the award termination.”
Chamreun said the funding freeze had left the community with TB in those districts without prevention education supports and TB screening activities.
“In addition, those who are newly diagnosed with TB will no longer receive treatment adherence supports from their peers and from those who experienced living with TB,” he said.
Chamreun said peer support was proven to be a key to successful TB treatment and completion, particularly amongst ethnic community and indigenous people living in remote and rural areas. — Xinhua
