NEWS that more than N1.6 billion that should have gone into combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria could be missing or might have been misappropriated, should sadden anyone who has an idea of the challenges of Nigerians who suffer any of these pandemics.

Why would anyone take money meant for sourcing succour for people down with these sickness among whom are children, women, the elderly, and others who are too poor to fund their medical expenses?

The answer could be greed, though it appears simplistic. Those involved, in most cases, have enough to live on, they even live in opulence, apparently from creaming off resources that would have gone into the medical expenses of those down with these sicknesses.

Global concerns about HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis led to the formation of Global Fund in 2001, a collective international effort to combat the scourges that were dealing with humanity. The initial successes of the programme have been marred by allegations of misappropriation of funds. The issues in Nigeria may be seen as a part of the sleaze that has stalled an initiative that could have helped poor, vulnerable and weak peoples, whose circumstances pre-dispose them to the scourges. In its first eight years (2002-2010) the Global Fund disbursed almost $11 billion for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis out of a total approved sum of $19.3 billion.

Inter Care, in British Medical Journal, way back in February 2003 reported a case in Uganda where a substantial proportion of donated HIV drugs was diverted and privately sold on the African market.

UNAIDS’s Executive Director Piot at an AIDS conference in Addis Ababa, the same year, considered corruption to be a major impediment to the effectiveness of the global fight against HIV and AIDS.

Kenya’s National Aids Control Council, NACC, was suspended over allegations of misappropriation of AIDS money. Global Fund withheld a $15 million AIDS grant to Kenya.

In Uganda, grants were stopped in August 2005 after the country’s Local Fund Agent discovered financial irregularities within the Ministry of Health’s Programme Management Unit, PMU. Individuals in PMU misspent around $280,000 over several months.

Zimbabwe was also accused of misusing $7.3 million of a $12.3 million grant. Global Fund demanded the money be returned.

In September 2009, the Global Fund suspended funding to Mauritania’s National AIDS Committee after it was found that funds had been used in a fraudulent and unjustified manner. The Fund has demanded the reimbursement of $ 1.7 million within three months and the immediate removal of the people identified as responsible of misusing the money. Other countries that have failed to have grants renewed for phase two funding include Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Pakistan.

Global Fund says it will stop a $28 million HIV/AIDS grant to Mali’s government after investigators found evidence money is being misused.

In late 2010, it was revealed that the Office of the Inspector General at Global Fund had uncovered cases of defrauding of Fund grants in four countries (Zambia, Cameroon, Mali and Mauritania), amounting to at least $25 million in ‘missing funds’.

The Nigerian case is really pathetic because ordinary health services are poor and the fights against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis has depended largely on international funding.

It is not enough to condemn misuse of the money that could have gone into fighting AIDS; those involved should be punished as a deterrent. We are assuming that those who can punish them are not – part of this cesspool.