ISLAMABAD – The Global Fund has cut $27 million from Pakistan’s health funding, significantly affecting national programs aimed at controlling HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. The reduction comes as the country battles a worsening public health crisis.
The decision reduces Pakistan’s total allocation under Grant Cycle 7 from $250.8 million to $223.6 million. The biggest cut affected the National TB Control Program, which lost over $15 million, while HIV/AIDS and malaria programs also suffered substantial funding drops.
According to officials, the funding cut is due to both global financial constraints and concerns over mismanagement in Pakistan’s health programs. Leadership gaps and poor performance have plagued the Common Management Unit (CMU), which currently lacks a permanent head or full-time national program managers for any of the three major disease programs.
Moreover, experts warn that without urgent leadership reforms, the country’s health response will remain ineffective. The Ministry of National Health Services has begun seeking new leadership, but critics stress that transparency and competence must guide the hiring process.
Pakistan’s growing disease burden adds to the urgency. Over 1,200 new HIV cases are reported each month, and TB remains a major threat with 610,000 new cases annually. Malaria is also making a comeback due to weak prevention and climate-related changes.
The Global Fund’s letter emphasized that Pakistan must now better prioritize its limited resources. Without serious improvements in program execution and management, the country risks falling further behind in its fight against these deadly diseases.