PHNOM PENH, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Cambodian frontline community health workers and field staff in a USAID-funded tuberculosis project had been laid off after the U.S. froze funding, a Cambodian health organization chief said on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending all U.S. foreign development assistance programs for 90 days on Jan. 20.
Choub Sok Chamreun, executive director of KHANA, a leading non-governmental organization, which received USAID fund for undertaking TB prevention, care and treatment supports in 27 districts of nine provinces, said until now, the NGO has not received any notice if the project could be resumed.
He said KHANA was a prime NGO in a group of local NGOs that had carried out the TB project funded by USAID.
"There is no fund to cover the lost fund from USAID," he told Xinhua. "Some 5,000 community health workers and 200 field staff were laid off since late February due to the award termination."
Chamreun said the funding freeze had left the community with TB in those districts without prevention education supports and TB screening activities.
He added that active TB case finding activities were lost and could increase TB infection within community.
"In addition, those who are newly diagnosed with TB will no longer receive treatment adherence supports from their peers and from those who experienced living with TB," he said.
Chamreun said peer support was proven to be a key to successful TB treatment and completion, particularly amongst ethnic community and indigenous people living in remote and rural areas of Cambodia.
He said TB is an airborne disease and that ending TB in the world can be achieved only if TB in each country is eliminated.
