Eight Nations Picked as Health-Aid Labs

The Obama administration recently selected eight nations to pilot a new approach to global health, while scaling back the growth of US global HIV/AIDS spending. The strategy aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality and neglected tropical and other preventable diseases, while improving nutrition and access to clean water, among other initiatives.

Lessons gleaned from the eight "learning labs" will inform efforts for the 80 countries that receive US global health aid, officials said. "We want to make sure we know and have the facts behind what works, what doesn't work, and why," a senior official said.

However, deficit concerns and competing priorities in Congress are clouding the prospects of President Barack Obama's requested 9 percent increase for global health funding in fiscal 2011. If approved, global health spending would grow to $9.6 billion, of which $7 billion would go to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). A $200 million strategic-reserve fund would support the eight countries.

Some health groups and experts are critical of the slowdown in PEPFAR spending. The administration's strategy "is setting back and derailing a very effective HIV/AIDS response," said Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance.

An administration official familiar with the plan said the countries chosen were Guatemala, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Mali, Malawi, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The nations were selected because of their health infrastructure strength, international partners working locally, and other factors.

Technical assistance and other resources will be used to simplify and integrate disparate US aid programs in the countries and help their governments build stronger and sustainable health systems, said officials. Projects could target the expansion of community health workers and improvment of supply chains to keep clinics stocked with medicines and vaccines.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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