The Bush Institute Global Health Newsletter

Hello,

 

PEPFAR has saved 26 million lives around the world while keeping America safe and prosperous. While we continue to follow the latest developments, the Trump administration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio did the right thing by exempting crucial aspects of the program from a freeze in foreign aid funding.

PEPFAR – like all foreign aid programs – should be subject to federal review to ensure tax-payer dollars have the greatest impact. But funding must continue to ensure that people receive the life-saving treatment the program provides. We urge the Department of State to resume PEPFAR programming immediately so that those on treatment can receive uninterrupted care. In fact, it’s a matter of life and death.

PEPFAR is also especially vital for American foreign policy as China and Russia seek to exert further influence in Africa. Freezing funding for PEPFAR would be extremely detrimental to US-Africa relations, and provide Russia and China further inroads as they seek to expand their global reach.

A successful transition to country ownership of HIV programming will not happen overnight and consistent oversight is critical to ensuring PEPFAR implements lessons learned from these reviews. Through proper oversight, Congress has the opportunity to ensure PEPFAR maintains its efficiency and implements programming that will lead to a successful transition to country ownership.

PEPFAR is an extraordinary program, and it requires and deserves continual funding and support in order to continue saving lives.

 

Sincerely,

David J. Kramer
Executive Director
George W. Bush Institute

Bush Institute Insights

 

This week we celebrate World Cancer Day. Our Go Further partnership has completed more than 10 million cervical cancer screenings for women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Of those screenings, approximately 68% represent women screened for the first time.

Hannah Johnson, Senior Program Manager for Global Policy at the Bush Institute, shares her two-minute take and policy considerations as the world inches toward 2030 – the target date for controlling cervical cancer and the sustainable development goal to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat. They include:

• Congressional support for – and continuation of – PEPFAR would ensure active oversight of the program by requiring PEPFAR to advance and sustain its results, address gaps, improve efficiency across all programmatic areas through real-time data, and increase the accountability and financial responsibility of host-country governments.

• Improving the entire cervical cancer continuum of care – prevention, screening, treatment, care, and survivorship – are critical.

• Ensuring countries sustain the response to cervical cancer, governments, the international community, donors, and bilateral partners must work together to address consistent political, financial, and resource challenges in the coming years.

• Increase investments in health care by some governments to sustain gains made while other governments must address specific gaps preventing them from achieving internationally agreed-upon goals.

Beneficiary Story

 

Leocardia Ndege, a widowed mother of five from Northern Tanzania, never imagined she was at high risk for cervical cancer – until she saw a neighbor battling the disease and decided to get screened. Diagnosed with early-stage precancerous lesions in 2018, Leocardia was initially hesitant about treatment after hearing false rumors about the procedure. She ultimately underwent same-day treatment at the Ariel Glaser Pediatric AIDS Healthcare Initiative. Today, she’s cancer-free and encouraging other women to get screened.

Cervical cancer is a major threat in Tanzania, which has the fourth highest rate of cervical cancer in the world. To combat cervical cancer, the Go Further Partnership has conducted over 717,000 screenings in Tanzania. Go Further also works to educate women living with HIV about cervical cancer and treatment options.

Leocardia tells other women to be wary of misinformation and get screened: "I urge fellow women to get screened as frequently as possible. Do not accept the lies about the treatment. I am a living witness. I am healthy, and I dream of having a healthy life where I will see my children grow and have their own families."