Also In Global Health News: Global Moms Act; NIH, PEPFAR Grants; ARVs In Kenya; Secretary Clinton, Warren Buffett Discuss Global Health

Women’s eNews Examines Global Moms Act

Women’s eNews examines the Global Moms Act, which among other efforts, “seeks to make C-sections more available to women in the developing world.” Officially called the “Global Maternal and Newborn Health Outcomes While Maximizing Successes Act” and introduced in the House by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), it “would require the president to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to improve global maternal health in developing countries, which account for 99 percent of the deaths tied to pregnancy and childbirth, according to the World Health Organization.” The news service notes that other lawmakers, Democrats “Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida and Rep. Eliot Engel of New York – are also either already backing or introducing legislation on maternal health care” (Abraham, 10/7). More information on the act is available on the Kaiser Global Health Policy Tracker.

NIH, PEPFAR Award $130M To Improve Health Systems In African Countries

The NIH and PEPFAR have teamed up and given a “series of grants worth a total of $130 million awarded to universities and health institutes in a dozen countries in sub-Saharan Africa,” Nature’s blog “The Great Beyond” reports. “The 5-year initiative funds African universities partnering with institutions in the United States. Eleven $10 million grants specifically focus on medical education and research training relating to HIV/AIDS, but smaller awards will take a broader tack,” according to the blog (Katsnelson, 10/7). Overall, about “30 regional partners” will work with “20 U.S. collaborators,” according to a press release issued by NIH. “The program is designed to support PEPFAR’s goals to train and retain 140,000 new health care workers and improve the capacity of partner countries to deliver primary health care,” according to the release (10/7).

Kenyan Government To Provide ARVs For TB Patients

The Kenyan government will “put 300,000 Kenyans living with [HIV]/AIDS on antiretroviral treatment in the next three years,” prioritizing patients who have tuberculosis, the Daily Nation reports. Speaking at the country’s 6th national HIV care and treatment forum, Ibrahim Mohamed, head of the country’s national AIDS control program, “said his Ministry was also concerned with the emergence of drug resistant TB among some patients” (Mwaniki, 10/6). “[W]e are putting all patients with TB (tuberculosis) irrespective of their CD4 count on treatment because TB is the major killer of persons living with HIV/AIDS,” Mohamed said, Capital News reports (Karong’o, 10/6). Mohamed also said his ministry is revising treatment guidelines “to ensure those requiring treatment are able to access the service,” Daily Nation adds (10/6).

Secretary Clinton, Buffett Discuss Public-Private Coordination Of Global Health Efforts

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Warren Buffett in Washington this week “to discuss the coordination of public and private work on global health issues,” Bloomberg writes. “We’re looking to make sure what we are doing on the public side can be effectively coordinated with what’s done on the private side,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said, according to the news service (Gaouette, 10/5). 

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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