Philippines, US commit P42B to strengthen country's HIV, tuberculosis response

The Philippines and the United States have signed a five-year agreement committing P42 billion to strengthen the country's response to HIV and tuberculosis.

Under the Health Strategic Objective Agreement, the Philippine government has pledged to invest more than P30 billion ($492 million) in its health system over the next five years, while the US government, in coordination with the US Congress, intends to provide more than P11.8 billion ($193 million).

The agreement aims to strengthen disease surveillance, detection, and outbreak response, integrate health service delivery across disease programs, and enhance the Philippines' capacity to finance and manage its health sector.

"The agreement will save American and Filipino lives, increase the resiliency of the Philippine health system through coordinated co-funding, and promote innovations to slow the spread of infectious diseases, like TB and HIV, that threaten both the United States and the Philippines," the US Embassy said in a press release on Friday. –VBL, GMA News