October 09, 2007
“The unfortunate reality is that global health programs dealing with issues like AIDS, TB and malaria are pulling health professionals away from already fragile public health systems,” said Lee. “We need to ensure that success in fighting diseases like AIDS, TB and malaria doesn’t erode the basic public health capacity in these countries.”
While it is home to 11 percent of the world’s population, sub-Saharan Africa bears 24 percent of the global burden of disease but employs only 3 percent of the global health workforce. A shortage of health workers is directly linked to a decline in the survival rates of women during childbirth and children in infancy. Additionally, the shortage of health workers is one of the leading obstacles to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Lee’s legislation, the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007, will address the health worker shortage and infrastructure deficiencies in sub-Saharan African countries by authorizing $150 million in FY08 to develop and implement a strategy that coordinates programs to:
The bill is a companion to S. 805, originally introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) in March and approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September.
“For every $100 million that we invest in health capacity, we can train 2,300 new physicians or nearly 5,000 new nurses and improve working conditions to help stem the tide of African trained health workers emigrating abroad,” said Lee.
Lee, who serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, has been a leader on global health issues, particularly in relation to HIV/AIDS and Africa. She was a coauthor of the bipartisan legislation that established the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as well as the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000, which established the framework for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In 2005, she successfully passed legislation to focus U.S. foreign assistance on the impact of AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries.
Barbara Lee Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Health Infrastructure in Africa
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) introduced legislation today aimed at strengthening public health infrastructure in African countries by addressing the chronic shortage of health workers.“The unfortunate reality is that global health programs dealing with issues like AIDS, TB and malaria are pulling health professionals away from already fragile public health systems,” said Lee. “We need to ensure that success in fighting diseases like AIDS, TB and malaria doesn’t erode the basic public health capacity in these countries.”
While it is home to 11 percent of the world’s population, sub-Saharan Africa bears 24 percent of the global burden of disease but employs only 3 percent of the global health workforce. A shortage of health workers is directly linked to a decline in the survival rates of women during childbirth and children in infancy. Additionally, the shortage of health workers is one of the leading obstacles to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Lee’s legislation, the African Health Capacity Investment Act of 2007, will address the health worker shortage and infrastructure deficiencies in sub-Saharan African countries by authorizing $150 million in FY08 to develop and implement a strategy that coordinates programs to:
- Address training, recruiting and retention concerns, especially in rural areas, for doctors, nurses, and paraprofessionals;
- Develop better institutional management;
- Increase productivity, reduce corruption, and build public health infrastructure; and
- Improve dangerous and sub-standard working conditions.
The bill is a companion to S. 805, originally introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) in March and approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September.
“For every $100 million that we invest in health capacity, we can train 2,300 new physicians or nearly 5,000 new nurses and improve working conditions to help stem the tide of African trained health workers emigrating abroad,” said Lee.
Lee, who serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, has been a leader on global health issues, particularly in relation to HIV/AIDS and Africa. She was a coauthor of the bipartisan legislation that established the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as well as the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000, which established the framework for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In 2005, she successfully passed legislation to focus U.S. foreign assistance on the impact of AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries.
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