The World Bank’s Board announced the DR has been granted a US$25 million loan to support national efforts to control AIDS. This is part of a US$155 million multi-country HIV/AIDS prevention and control lending program for the Caribbean. "Without strong political will at the highest levels today, and without the support of the international community, HIV/AIDS will prove much more difficult and costly to overcome in the Caribbean in the future," says Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, World Bank Director for the Caribbean Department. "We would like to recognize the commitment of President Hipolitó Mejia of the Dominican Republic and, at the regional level, the leadership of Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur and his strong support for the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean." In the Dominican Republic the World Bank loan will finance prevention and control of HIV/AIDS transmission, diagnosis, basic care, and support of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS, and management and institutional strengthening.
