As the Trump administration charts its own foreign policy course and lawmakers work to decide U.S. spending priorities, I appeal to Congress to prioritize support for essential and lifesaving health care for people in humanitarian crises around the world. U.S. investment in global health is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do: it saves lives, it strengthens communities, and it extends our American values of goodwill, security, and prosperity.
Complex crises involving disease, conflict, and famine have been unfolding in all corners of the world, whether in Myanmar, Syria, Yemen, or South Sudan. I have seen firsthand that there is no substitute for essential health care services in these settings. Over the past seven years of ongoing conflict in Syria, I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Syria’s tireless and selfless medical workers. Dr. Farida is one of them. She was the last remaining female OBGYN in besieged eastern Aleppo City, refusing to leave until the very last minute.
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