Paul Farmer and the US Government?

Published May 15, 2009 @ 11:54AM PT

I've talked about Paul Farmer before. If you work in global health, he's one of your inspirations. Period. He founded Partners in Health. He was one of the first people to work on multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. He's been an advocate for the poor and the marginalized since day one, and he's shown both moral and physical courage throughout his career.

And he might go to work for the US government. According to the Boston Globe, Farmer is "mulling a possible appointment by the Obama administration to coordinate the United States' growing overseas health initiatives."

If the position involved coordinating all US health initiatives, this would most likely be at the State Department, possibly in the office of the Director of US Foreign Assistance. (for those who are familiar with US foreign aid - yes, that is the notorious F office). He would need to harmonize all the different health programs and agencies currently funded by the US government.

These agencies include an alphabet of acronyms such as the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), USAID, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are probably others I have forgotten. Eliminating redundancy and getting them to play nicely together will not be an easy job. (and I have mentioned before, my own personal view is that we should put all health programs under USAID and dump all these separately funded efforts.)

The upside of all these programs is we've got a lot of international health capacity in the US government. I'd say it's probably the strongest technical area of US foreign assistance. If we could get all the energy working for the same goes, we've got the people and the skills to run our programs very, very well.

Paul Famer might be able to take that capacity and reshape American program into something extraordinary. Or he might get bogged down in paperwork and bureaucracy, and we'd lose the skills and contributions of a major global health figure in exchange for someone minor improvements in PEPFAR policy. I know we're all hoping for that first one, but only time will tell.

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Comments (10)

I think global health system is the wrong Idea.. We the people should pay taxes to the UN? I think not.. The thing about global health system, and Global Food system is a One World Government System.. And its smells like a NEW WORLD ORDER.. A select few people controlling the world is a bad idea... Why should I pay taxes for some 3rd world country which wont do anything for itself to begin with.. I'm not saying all of tthem are that way but I shouldn't be the one to flip the bill.. mmm the great taste of big pharmaceutical and genetically enhanced food produced.. thanks rockefellers. thanks for controlling our food/drugs.. start a drug war and destroying our constitution and our bill of rights.. whall feeding us vaccines full of mercury. I have no health coverage here in the states, when I tried to get health coverage I was told I didn't qualify because I wasen't an illegal alien, child or woman.. but I pay for theirs already... and I get none..

Posted by Joe Wilson on 05/17/2009 @ 12:02AM PT
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Joe,

Surely Kaiser Permanente (or any other health insurance companies for that matter) would not refuse to give you health insurance if you join one of their plans. I have always had health insurance in the States, either covered by my employer or I bought my own. So why can't you? are you unemployed? Just curious...If you are healthy, your premium will not be that high.

I think you might want to look at what 3rd world countries do to help themselves, before you make such statements. Personally, I would rather my taxes going to help those in need than financing wars.

Posted by Sabine Niewiadomski on 05/18/2009 @ 04:45AM PT
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I understand also when these people who wants a glorbal something.. it will only cover certain countries, not all countries will be covered and I already getting tired of my taxes being used to fund states which uses the AID to start wars...

I can't get on no health coverage too, I am a women, but I dont have 7 kids from different fathers and I am not a senior citzen..

But yet I am a person in perfect health.... So its better to stay healthy..

Posted by Lara Nunes on 05/17/2009 @ 05:49PM PT
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I agree with you on the stay healthy, eat local grown, stay in season,buy organic when at all possible.

Posted by Joe Wilson on 05/17/2009 @ 11:09PM PT
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Paul Farmer's holistic and empowering approach to assistance in developing countries is so refreshing. It is exciting to imagine the influence he could have in policymaking position! We can only hope that the bureacracy of government work won't be too distracting.

Posted by Wendy Leonard on 05/17/2009 @ 08:12PM PT
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I will do some research on Paul, I shouldn't of went and flapped at the mouth.. but I am concerned about the genetic altered foods we are paying to produce in other countries that are not very healthy.. I like the biblical teaching, though I am far from a saint.. give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

Posted by Joe Wilson on 05/17/2009 @ 10:59PM PT
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"The biblical teaching"? Ummmm... this is not from the bible. Keep reading.

Posted by Mike H on 05/20/2009 @ 08:37PM PT
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Okay there is a video on YouTube where Paul Farmer says they are getting better healthcare in Haiti then we are here the United States. Going to go watch some more video's on his, he is very interesting.. The video was a take from Democracy Now. I enjoy watching that show, I don't know how I overloaded that episode.

Posted by Joe Wilson on 05/17/2009 @ 11:06PM PT
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The first thing Dr. Farmer should do as a global health coordinator is promote primary care in this country so that we do not import primary care physicians from poor countries that can ill afford to lose them.

Bohdan A. Oryshkevich, MD, MPH

Posted by Bohdan Oryshkevich, MD, MPH on 05/17/2009 @ 11:17PM PT
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That's a great point. I am not sure it falls under the pruview of the state department, but if the US reduced our demand for specialists we could cut down on brain dran.

Posted by Alanna Shaikh on 05/17/2009 @ 11:33PM PT
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Alanna Shaikh has spent the last ten years immersed in global health; she has worked for NGOs, companies, universities, and the US government on projects that ranged from preventing antibacterial resistance to improving maternal and child health.