The Committee on Finances and Taxation approved on Wednesday (15) the Bill 4145/08, from the Executive Branch, which authorizes the Ministry of Health to donate R$ 13.6 million (about US$ 7.2 million) to Mozambique. The money will be used on the first stage of the installation of a factory of anti-retroviruses and other drugs to fight against AIDS in the capital of the country, Maputo.

The member of the chamber, Manoel Junior by the Brazilian Socialist Party of Paraíba, the rapporteur, presented a favorable report to the proposal. He did only one amendment to the text: the resources should come from the budgetary account of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. The member of the chamber avoided, however, to correct, without any delaying from Brazilian help to the African country.

The building of the first stage of the medicine factory will be coordinated by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). Since 1981, Brazil maintains a cooperation agreement with Moçambique.

With 21.7 million inhabitants, 12.5% of the adult population is contaminated by the HIV virus, according to a 2007 forecast. The high incidence is one of the responsible for the life expectancy at birth, which is only 41 years, against 72 years in Brazil.

In-process
Now, the project will be reviewed by the Committee on the Constitution and Justice and Citizenship.

Reporting – Janary Júnior
Edition - João Pitella Junior
Translation – Grupo Solucion/Maria Carolina Marcelino Ogata