Eric Goosby blogs about PEPFAR

Feb 22nd, 2010 12:58 PM UTC
By Chris Scott

U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby has taken to the DipNote blog to broadly outline the future of the Global Health Initiative as well as State’s “PEPFAR Five-Year Strategy”. It’s a pretty helpful insight into how the Administration is going about combating HIV/AIDS in the coming years:

As a result of the remarkable successes the United States Government has achieved with partner nations against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the past decade, the GHI seeks to expand existing U.S. Government commitments to broaden the impact of our activities upon broader health systems. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, I welcome the GHI commitment to further PEPFAR’s efforts in HIV/AIDS, and I look forward to building upon the tremendous successes PEPFAR has achieved.

Reflecting the principles of the GHI, under our new PEPFAR Five-Year Strategy, PEPFAR is transitioning from an emphasis on an emergency response to a sustainable one. To accomplish this, PEPFAR is working with partner governments to increase their ownership of, and capacity to lead, HIV/AIDS responses in country. Achieving this outcome requires a heightened effort to improve health systems at the country level. PEPFAR will deepen our work with countries to expand their capacity to deliver the health interventions they designate as priorities. As we build health systems, PEPFAR will also use these systems as a platform to directly support treatment for more than four million individuals living with HIV/AIDS, prevention of more than 12 million new infections, and care for more than 12 million individuals affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children.

Cultivating a sustainable response to the range of global health issues is no easy task. The Administration is dedicating unprecedented funding — totaling $63 billion over six years — towards the GHI. This figure is nothing short of remarkable: compared to the preceding six-year period from 2003-2008, this resource commitment for 2009-2014 represents more than a doubling of funds. Included in this in an increase in funding for PEPFAR, allowing us to expand the reach and maximize the impact of our HIV/AIDS programming.

This initiative represents a new and innovative way of doing business for the U.S. Government, promoting coordination among agencies and programs to avoid duplication of efforts and maximize the impact of each dollar invested. As part of GHI, PEPFAR will work closely with other United States Government programs to build the efficiency and effectiveness of national health systems, strengthening their ability to meet the variety of health needs individuals face, including HIV-related needs.

You can read his full post here.

TAGS: Ambassador Goosby, HIV/AIDS, PEPFAR