If we can “flatten the curve” on coronavirus infection, we may be able to avoid overwhelming our health care system. But for many people living in nations with fewer resources, even a few critical cases will overwhelm their health care system. And there are others with little to no access to health care at all.
As Congress crafts economic stimulus packages, those packages must include resources both to support partners in developing nations deal with the immediate crisis and to strengthen their health care systems in the long run.
We already fund USAID programs and multilateral organizations that do this well, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and USAID’s bilateral tuberculosis and child survival work. We should build on these efforts.
Congress must prioritize global health systems, alongside the domestic response, as we move forward together. People living in poorer settings must not bear the brunt of this pandemic.
