Pattaya put HIV and AIDS organizations on notice that they can expect less financial support from newly budget-conscious city hall.
Deputy Mayor Vichien Pongpanit told the June 9 meeting of the Health Worker Network and AIDS networking conference that after being criticized last year for “wasteful” spending by Pattaya’s former leaders, the appointed government is strictly following Ministry of Interior guidelines on what projects it can support with public funds.
In order to obtain public funding, AIDS and HIV projects must demonstrate they are something Pattaya is responsible for and has a direct role in. Otherwise, the private groups and charities will have to fund their initiatives themselves.
Vichien tried to soften the bad news by saying how important AIDS prevention is to the government and how much city hall values the efforts of the non-profits.
But that didn’t change the bottom line: Unless it’s something Pattaya must do, the city’s not going to pay for it.
