Government’s decision to cut the subvention to the Hope Foundation will be to the detriment of people suffering with lupus, sickle cell anaemia and rheumatoid arthritis.
So says president Shelley Weir, who told the Daily Nation the 32-year-old non-profit organisation was now in survival mode as it continued to experience severe financial challenges.
She said the consistent reduction in Government support over the last three years – by almost 70 per cent – was alarming and had severely impacted their ability to continue vital services and support for patients. She declined to reveal the amounts they received.
“This means that we will not be able to keep our doors open. The suggestion that the Government may be contributing to the potential demise of Hope Foundation is distressing, particularly as it implies discrimination against those with lupus, sickle cell and arthritis. The subvention has been consistently reduced without a word. When we applied in 2007 for the subvention, it was to meet the administration cost of the Foundation,” Weir said. (AH)
