18 December 2008
analysis
Washington, DC — "The U.S. government [should] demonstrate, through policies and actions, that this nation fundamentally believes in the value of better health for all. The committee is calling on the next President to highlight health as a pillar of U.S. foreign policy.
.. The U.S. government should act in the global interest, recognizing that long-term diplomatic, economic, and security benefits for the United States will follow." - The U.S.
Commitment to Global Health: Recommendations for the New Administration from the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
In a report released on December 15, which received little coverage in the U.S. or international press, a committee of the prestigious Institute of Medicine released a study report calling for the U.S. to double its budget for global health and make the commitment a centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy. The committee's work was sponsored by four U.S. government agencies and five private foundations, and the 50-page report is available on-line for download at http://www.iom.edu and
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12506.html
The committee was co-chaired by former Under-Secretary of State Thomas R. Pickering and by Harold E. Varmus, president of the Memorial Sloan-Ketting Cancer Center, and included both American and international experts on public health and related issues.
This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains the executive summary of the report, which expresses an emerging bipartisan consensus that consistent support for global health is both an international obligation and in the national interest..
For previous AfricaFocus Bulletins on health, visit http://www.africafocus.org/healthexp.php
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This issue will be the last issue of AfricaFocus Bulletin for 2008.
Regular publication will resume in mid-January, after the holidays.
News feeds and other features on http://www.africafocus.org will continue to be updated regularly during the break.
Best wishes to our readers for the holidays and the new year.
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The U.S. Commitment to Global Health: Recommendations for the New Administration
Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences
Committee on the U.S. Commitment to Global Health, National Research Council .
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12506.html
[The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education.]
Executive Summary
At this historic moment, the Obama administration and leaders of the U.S. Congress have the opportunity to advance the welfare and prosperity of people within and beyond the borders of the United States through intensified and sustained attention to better health. The promise of potential solutions in global health has captured the interest of a new generation of philanthropists, students, scientists, private industry leaders, and citizens, eager to make a difference in our interconnected world. Over the last decade, the U.S. government has mirrored the American public's interest with record expenditures on global health. By building on these commitments and deploying the full complement of U.S. assets to achieve global health, the United States can improve the lives of millions around the world, while reflecting America's values and protecting and promoting the nation's interests.
The Institute of Medicine--with the support of four U.S. government agencies and five private foundations--formed an independent committee to examine the United States' commitment to global health and articulate a vision for future U.S. investments and activities in this area. To coincide with the U.S. presidential transition, the committee prepared the following report outlining how the U.S. government can improve global health under the leadership of a new administration. A more complete exploration of this vision--including the role of the commercial sector, foundations, academia, and nongovernmental organizations--will be released in the spring of 2009. Health is a highly valued, visible, and concrete investment that has the power to both save lives and enhance U.S. credibility in the eyes of the world.
In today's market crisis, the financial policies and practices of the most developed nations, including the United States, are seen as the cause of painful economic spillovers in low- and middle-income countries. During economic downturns, population health declines, especially among the poor in low-income countries, who pay a large portion of their health care costs out-of-pocket, without the benefit of social safety nets. It is crucial for the reputation of the United States that the nation live up to its humanitarian responsibilities, despite current pressures on the U.S. economy, and assist lowincome countries in safeguarding the health of their poorest members. The U.S.
government can take this opportunity to demonstrate, through policies and actions, that this nation fundamentally believes in the value of better health for all. The committee is calling on the next President to highlight health as a pillar of U.S. foreign policy.
This could be confirmed by a major speech early in his tenure, declaring that the United States has both the responsibility as a global citizen, and an opportunity as a global leader, to contribute to improved health around the world. The U.S.
government should act in the global interest, recognizing that long-term diplomatic, economic, and security benefits for the United States will follow.
If health is to hold a more prominent position in U.S. foreign policy, the U.S. government will need to increase coordination among the multiple agencies and departments engaged in global health. A 1997 Institute of Medicine report, America's Vital Interest in Global Health, called for the establishment of a government Interagency Task Force on Global Health, led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The committee supports this recommendation, but calls for the interagency group to be located more centrally, in the White House. Locating the effort in the White House, potentially within the National Security Council (NSC) and reporting to the President through the NSC Advisor, would give it convening authority among sometimes competing agencies and the ability to make policy recommendations directly to the President.
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