World Bank triples funds for healthcare amid crisis

As the global economic crisis continues, the World Bank has tripled its funds for healthcare in order to provide relief to developing countries. Reuters reports that a new World Bank report said it would increase its healthcare funding from $1 billion last year, with evidence already that some governments are facing difficulties in affording HIV/AIDS drug therapies.
Preliminary findings from a March 2009 World Bank survey in 69 countries, which offer treatment to 3.4 million people on anti-retroviral treatment, shows that eight countries now face shortages of anti-retroviral drugs or other disruptions to AIDS treatment. No word yet if this tripling of funding will include help for Mexico's swine flu epidemic.