Public Health in Ghana, per Obama

[Vito Andolini]

So now the US is going to give $60 billion to Ghana for fighting malaria, polio, TB, HIV, and many other terrible illnesses.

That sounds like an awful lot of money. Why us and why to them? Why not take care of our own first? We have plenty of trouble right here to deal with. And $60 billion ain't no small potatoes. :angryfire:uhoh3:

[Be_Moore]

Because we don't see a lot of Malaria, Polio, or TB in this country. And compared to many of the African nations, our HIV rates are nothing.

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." - Edmund Burke

Mark 12:31.

"Above all nations is humanity." - Goldwin Smith

[dusky1228]

I think Vito is making the point that if there is 60 billion available (and I'm not so sure it really is!), why not spend it here, in the US, for any one of the myriad of serious diseases or other problems that need resolution?

It's sort of like supporting a family that you don't even know, but neglecting your own family.

I think our responsibility shuld be here first, THEN elsewhere if needed, and can be afforded.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

I am an Obama supporter, and I will have to look more into this information, however I would like to see funds held here in the states...that or can some CEO's and take care of a few more of our own...

Tait

America will support these efforts through a comprehensive, global health strategy, because in the 21st century, we are called to act by our conscience but also by our common interest, because when a child dies of a preventable disease in Accra, that diminishes us everywhere. And when disease goes unchecked in any corner of the world, we know that it can spread across oceans and continents.

And that's why my administration has committed $63 billion to meet these challenges - $63 billion. Building on the strong efforts of President Bush, we will carry forward the fight against HIV/AIDS. We will pursue the goal of ending deaths from malaria and tuberculosis, and we will work to eradicate polio. We will fight - we will fight neglected tropical disease. And we won't confront illnesses in isolation - we will invest in public health systems that promote wellness and focus on the health of mothers and children.

-President Barack Obama

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1151ap_af_obama_text.html

Took me a bit to find it...and not find it on FOX News alone...

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Wonder how many uninsured Americans that could insure. All of them, and then some, by my calculations.

[Mollypita]

We've been sending that much and more for years now. The money is probably a drop in the bucket here, but can do tremendous good in such a needy place as sub-saharan Africa. I don't like huge deficits either, but I find the moral argument for such help compelling. Obviously not everyone here agrees.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

We have too much debt to be throwing money around like this.

Put another way: If I were living on borrowed money, would I give away money while living on my VISA card? I think not. And neither should the federal government.

However, let's not let this devolve into a partisan argument. Republican and Democrat presidents have done the same thing.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

We've been sending that much and more for years now. The money is probably a drop in the bucket here, but can do tremendous good in such a needy place as sub-saharan Africa. I don't like huge deficits either, but I find the moral argument for such help compelling. Obviously not everyone here agrees.

I think everyone understands how important it is to help, I just think a lot of us are finding it hard to swallow as we watch loved ones (such as my Master's Degree level mother and recent layoff victim) struggle to get basic healthcare. I know it has caused me to turn a much less patient ear.

Tait

[noni06]

There are many African people who travel all over the world including the United States every year, so if we don't fight infectious diseases in Africa, they will eventually spread to America. Think of it as preventative care for you and your family.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

There are many African people who travel all over the world including the United States every year, so if we don't fight infectious diseases in Africa, they will eventually spread to America. Think of it as preventative care for you and your family.

Problem is, there are millions of people in the US who are unable to get health insurance which means they often lack the ability to get health care for themselves. Yet these same people are working and paying taxes to give health care to those in other nations when they cannot get the same themselves? Rotten, rotten, rotten.

[SharonH, RN]

I think Vito is making the point that if there is 60 billion available (and I'm not so sure it really is!), why not spend it here, in the US, for any one of the myriad of serious diseases or other problems that need resolution?

lol! Because then folks would complain about socialism and welfare and how they don't deserve our money because they don't take care of themselves or they smoke or they're ungrateful or (fill in the blank)________.

[noni06]

Problem is, there are millions of people in the US who are unable to get health insurance which means they often lack the ability to get health care for themselves. Yet these same people are

working and paying taxes

to give health care to those in other nations when they cannot get the same themselves? Rotten, rotten, rotten.

The government can provide each person with health insurance and it will mean nothing if any of these infectious dieases in the third world becomes a public health problem in the US. I repeat it is in our own best interest to help fight infectious disease in Africa.