By Liam Fox,
ABC
Australia's Foreign Minister has
announced an extra AUD$20 million to tackle tuberculosis in Papua New Guinea's
remote Western Province.
Bob Carr pledged the extra funding
at the opening of the annual Australia-PNG ministerial forum, in Port Moresby.
He says Australia wants to cure 85
percent of TB cases in Western Province and the money will be used to expand
local health services and train staff.
It is in addition to $11 million
dollars that is being used to upgrade TB facilities at the hospital on Daru
Island.
Western province is only a short
boat ride from the outer islands of the Torres Strait in far north Queensland.
It has the worst health indicators
in PNG and a growing number of cases of drug-resistance.
Senator Carr has already announced
Australia would contribute millions of dollars towards the PNG government's
plan to provide free education and plans for 1,400 nursing and midwifery
scholarships.
The Australian Greens Party says the
package is a sweetener in return for the PNG Government reopening a detention
centre on Manus Island, where Australia's sending asylum seekers for
processing.
But the Australian Immigration
Minister Chris Bowen says the spending is justified.
"We've made it clear that we
want our presence on Manus Island to be of benefit, which is an area doing it
tough, and is in need of assistance. A part of Papua New Guinea, which is an
imminently justifiable target for Australia's aid assistance," said Mr
Bowen.
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