Macedonia’s Ministry of Health gets second part of the grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria which will start to be realised in the period 2015/2016, Health Minister Nikola Todorov told Saturday’s press conference.

Second phase of €4 million is part of the grant for the period 2012-2016 amounting to €10 million of which €6 million were given in the first phase 2012-2014.

The second grant finances are intended to Ministry of Health, civic associations as HOPS, HERA, EGAL, and the Red Cross – Skopje as well as Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions and Psychiatric hospital – Skopje.

The investments we have realised significantly improved the care and treatment of vulnerable categories as persons with Hepatitis C or persons with HIV/AODS and also we improved on time diagnosis and early treatment which significantly reduces the chance of further transmission of HIV virus, Minister Todorov said.

Todorov said that the ministry with the latest grant provided genotyping system and HIV detection which will be placed at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions.

The apparatus amounting to €85.000 will be installed and put into operation very soon. The device is top for diagnosis and enabling precise detection of HIV genotyping which will significantly reduce the overall costs, he said.

Also he said that the ministry provided fibro scan which will be used for detecting and quantifying liver fibrosis and will is intended for the Clinic for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions.

He also announced that laboratory equipment amounting to €130.000 is planned to be purchased aimed at strengthening the diagnostics of these diseases. Also special terrain vehicle (€30.000) is to be bought for terrain testing and counselling for sexually transmitted infections among most-at-risk groups.

In 2014, 239 persons were infected with HIV virus, of whom 161 receive therapy and 78 died. 27.340 HIV tests were distributed last year, Director of the Global Fund Natasa Nikolovska-Stankovic said.