$2.8m set aside for AIDS projects

$2.8m set aside for AIDS projects

BANGKOK (AFP): The Thai government has approved a budget of 70
million baht (US$2.8 million) to help private organizations
combat AIDS here next year, a news report said yesterday.

Sanguan Nitayarumphong, permanent secretary of the Public
Health Ministry, told representatives of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) Thursday in the beach resort of Pattaya that
the allocation was seven times this year's budget, the Bangkok
Post reported.

Sanguan said it was the first time the government was funding
projects proposed by the NGOs themselves, and that the government
was increasing its support for NGOs because it realizes they can
get closer to the public than some state agencies.

But the budget still is only half of what the 22 NGOs had
asked for, he said.