Welcome to Call to Decision
Obama Proposes Massive Global Health Initiative
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By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer
Washington - The United States is launching a six-year global health
initiative that will help some of the poorest regions of the world
fight
health challenges that kill people who could otherwise be saved with
improved health care, says President Obama.
"That is why I am asking Congress to approve my fiscal year 2010
budget
request of $8.6 billion - and $63 billion over six years - to shape a
new,
comprehensive global health strategy," Obama said.
"We cannot wall ourselves off from the world and hope for the
best, nor
ignore the public health challenges beyond our borders."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the initiative will
become a
crucial component of American foreign policy. Investments in global
programs
to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other preventable
diseases will
save lives and reduce maternal and child deaths, she said.
Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew told reporters at a White House
briefing
May 5 that the global health initiative goes beyond current programs
designed to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis and will begin
addressing the health needs of women, children and families in
developing
nations. It is also designed to curb the impact of neglected tropical
diseases.
"Neglected tropical diseases are a symptom of poverty and
disadvantage,"
according to the World Health Organization. "Those most affected
are the
poorest populations often living in remote, rural areas, urban slums
or in
conflict zones."
Although medically diverse, neglected tropical diseases share features
that
allow them to persist in conditions of poverty, where they cluster and
frequently overlap. More than 1 billion people - one-sixth of the
world's
population - suffer from one or more neglected tropical diseases, the
WHO
says.
"Research shows that a handful of neglected diseases could be
eliminated
with relatively modest resources and a sustained commitment," Lew
said.
"Basic obstetric care can exponentially reduce the number of
mothers and
children who die in childbirth."
Lew said basic health interventions for things like diarrheal diseases
can
sharply decrease the mortality of children under 5.
"We have the opportunity to cost-effectively contribute to
political
stability in a way that enhances our national security, while
advancing our
core humanitarian values," he said.
The initiative is included in the fiscal year 2010 federal budget,
which was
presented to Congress May 7. The 2010 fiscal year begins October 1.
The
budget proposal was delayed by the Obama administration to permit more
time
to evaluate federal programs and make adjustments.
Lew said the health initiative does not include a listing of specific
regions and targeted countries, but, he said, a lot of countries in
Africa
could use more help.
In the first year of the initiative, Lew said, the $8.645 billion
includes
$7.4 billion in funding for the Bush administration's effective
President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and President's Malaria
Initiative.
Another $1.3 billion is for other global health priorities. Last year
the
United States provided $8.16 billion for global health issues; the
increase
this year is $459 million, he said.
Lew said this initiative builds, in part, on President Bush's PEPFAR
program, which provides lifesaving treatment for more than 2 million
people,
up from 50,000 people six years ago.
"Dramatic gains have also been achieved under the President's
Malaria
Initiative, which in its third year alone has already reached more
than 32
million people in 15 African countries," Lew said.
Transcripts of President Obama's remarks (
and Secretary Clinton's remarks (
on the global health initiative are available on America.gov.
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(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information
Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web
site: http://www.america.gov)