Senator Feingold Calls for Comprehensive U.S. Global Health Strategy

From the Global Health Council
ttp://www.globalhealth.org/view_top.php3?id=48#022309

The Global Health Council applauds Sen. Russ Feingold's, D-WI, remarks on the Senate floor on Monday Feb. 23, 2009, in which the Senator called on President Obama to put in place an "all inclusive and robust" strategy for global health. Feingold – Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs – said in tough economic times, it is vitally important for the United States to lead in global health with a strategy that is "all inclusive, integrated and sustainable."

Feingold calls for the Obama Administration to continue of U.S. leadership to fight HIV/AIDS, to build upon President Bush's Malaria Initiative, to address tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases, and to develop a plan to address the basic child and maternal health issues as the foundation of U.S. global health policy. In addition, Feingold calls for the removal of funding restrictions that hinder evidence-based responses to health issues or limits flexibility to balance prevention and treatment programs. Feingold said that family planning and reproductive health is integral to many global health programs, and that integration of U.S. global health programs would create great efficiency and contribution to stronger health systems. According to Feingold, the great challenge facing the global health community is the addressing weaknesses in health infrastructure. The senator said he plans to continue his work to address the issue of health systems and health care workforces in the 111th Congress.

Feingold said the health challenges facing the world demand strong and sustained U.S. engagement because of global health's national security, economic and diplomatic implications. The senator cited a National Intelligence assessment released in January about the imperatives for global health investments for U.S. security and diplomacy. He said that implementing a comprehensive global health strategy can help ensure the quality of investments made by the U.S. taxpayers and maximize the results for the world's sick and vulnerable.

Sen. Feingold's remarks for the Congressional Record are available on his Web site.

For more information:
http://feingold.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=308496