Another blow to aid programs
two studies have come out saying that international aid programs aimed at improving health in poor nations have little to show for all the spending.
In one paper, WHO researchers examined the impact of various global health initiatives during the last 20 years.
They found some benefits, like increased diagnosis of tuberculosis cases and higher vaccination rates. But they also concluded some U.N. programs hurt health care in Africa by disrupting basic services and leading some countries to slash their health spending.
this is what happens when u give stuff away for free. u kill any industry or gov’t spending that supported it, and so it’s happened in africa. ppl who manage aid programs need to prioritize giving away things that local industry simply cannot provide, like correct diagnosis of TB. they also need to realize money is fungible and if these corrupt gov’ts see outsiders are willing to throw tons of cash at a health problem in their nation, the leaders will direct gov’t money elsewhere. like their own pockets presumably.
Experts said that in some cases, the U.N. was propping up dysfunctional health systems. “If you’ve got rotten governments, no amount of development aid is going to fix that,” said Elizabeth Pisani, an AIDS expert who once worked for the U.N., citing Zimbabwe as a prime example.
Murray and colleagues also found AIDS gets at least 23 cents of every health dollar going to poor countries. Globally, AIDS causes fewer than 4 percent of deaths.
“Funds in global health tend to go to whichever lobby group shouts the loudest, with AIDS being a case in point,” said Philip Stevens of International Policy Network, a London think tank.
HIV is a manageable health problem at this stage. we’ve known how to contain its spread since the 1980s. use a goddamn condom or clean needle. there are drug cocktails available to drive it to untraceable levels for your entire life. we need to stop giving this virus so much attention. stop w/ the annoying ribbons plastered all sideways on your bumpers as if we can’t read words printed at an angle.
AIDS isn’t an important concern for the developed world. if u live in africa, stop raping ppl and use a condom and u won’t end up w/ adult HIV rates that exceed 20%. u can argue that they just haven’t had the proper information available to them, but they’ve been battling this virus the longest and have the highest infection rates. they’ve had 30 years to learn to use a condom. i think it’s about time we take off the training wheels and let them deal w/ the problem themselves.
WHO acknowledged change was necessary, but insisted it needed even more money, warning fewer donations would jeopardize children’s’ lives.
U.N. agencies, universities and others working on public health routinely take from 2 to 50 percent of a donation for “administrative purposes” before it goes to needy countries.
so despite the fact that the UN gets almost no health benefits by running these programs, we’re encouraged to keep the spigot flowing so some bureaucratic fatcat can siphon off “admin fees”? i say no. cut off the aid for any program that hasn’t shown great effectiveness and let those nations’ healthcare programs sink or swim. children be damned.
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2 to 50% for administrative fees, nice.