New Delhi: Microsoft founder and mentor Bill Gates met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and discussed the level of cooperation between his Foundation and the Health Ministry. "Bill Gates met the PM and discussed areas of support between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare," a statement from the Prime Minister's office said.
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The Foundation has been providing grants for public health activities, notably in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention and communication. Gates is in India to launch a public healthcare initiative with special focus on polio eradication.
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The initiative is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates also met Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.
The Foundation has committed about $9.9 billion in grants for global health as of October 2008, of which $400 million are on account of polio eradication. India, among the four countries where the disease is still endemic, has been among its recipients.
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The other initiatives of the Foundation include 'Avahan', where $258 million have so far been committed in the first phase of the project towards India's AIDS-control initiatives. About $93 million have also been set aside for the country's immunisation programme and $66 million for introducing Hepatitis B vaccine in 15 cities and 33 districts.
