The Global Health Initiative

The President's Global Health Initiative is great--nested within his policy for Foreign Development it lays out a way forward for health development. Eight countries were selected for "fast track" focus: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nepal and Rwanda. (I would have loved to watch the political debate about which countries were selected.) The paper posted on the White House website (click on the title of this blog to go there) says the eight countries:

will receive additional technical and management support to quickly implement and learn from GHI’s approach, including integrated programs and investments across the health priorities, fostering greater country ownership and targeting health systems activities that deliver results. These countries will provide enhanced opportunities to build upon existing public health programs; improve program performance; and work in close collaboration with partner governments, across U.S. government agencies, and with global partners.

The GHI is a $63 billion program. It will be interesting to see how this, and the foreign development programs, perform. And, I wonder how the DoD is focused on these priority countries, if at all?

President's Global Health Initiative

The President's Global Health Initiative is resoundingly vague. I see Tommy Thompson in the reference to neglected tropical diseases (really? that's one of our national priorities?), and Joseph Nye and other smart and snappy pol-fashionistas in the reference to smart power. Fortunately the Millenium Development Goals were snuck in there as a nod to gravitas.

You can view the President's statement by clicking on my title, or here's the URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Statement-by-the-President-on-Global-Health-Initiative/