If U.S. Retreats From Global Health Leadership Role, Canada Should Fill In Gaps
The Tyee: How Trump Is Making a Global Pandemic More Likely
Crawford Kilian, contributing editor of The Tyee
“…President Trump’s desertion of [certain developing countries] will hurt the Americans’ reputation around the world. [Canada’s] reputation will suffer too if we don’t expand our contributions. And both Canada and the U.S. — and other countries around the world — will be at greater risk of pandemics that kill thousands, or millions. So for political, as well as health reasons, Canada will have to do more than it has. … Perhaps our best bet would be to contribute some of our top health experts to a handful of countries like Haiti as teachers and trainers, building up local resources and strengthening local skills. We could offer scholarships and fellowships for promising students at Canadian universities, with the understanding that graduates would return home to suitable employment — if necessary, funded by Canadian subsidies. This would be helpful but politically boring; when public health is working, nothing happens. … Still, until the U.S. comes to its senses we’re all more exposed than we need to be. The sooner we face that fact, and act on it, the safer we’ll be” (2/7).
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.