Within hours of his inauguration as the 47th US president, Donald Trump signed a slew of far-reaching executive orders that will be felt around the world. Two are particularly concerning for health. The first is his instruction to quit the World Health Organisation (WHO), effecting a desire he first articulated during his previous term in office.
The US accounts for a fifth of the WHO’s $6.8bn budget so its withdrawal will severely curtail the organisation’s activities and undermine the crucial role it plays in supporting countries manage disease outbreaks. And it sounds the death knell for the WHO’s attempts to devise a global pandemic agreement. That spells bad news for low- and middle-income countries that lack the scientific and manufacturing capabilities to develop and produce their own tools to combat novel health threats.
The second worry is Trump’s directive for a 90-day pause on foreign aid, pending a review of the projects it supports: this has potentially huge implications for global health programmes, including the bipartisan president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief founded by former president George Bush 20 years ago. Snuffing out the plan would trigger an immediate crisis for countries hard-hit by HIV/Aids that rely on its support, including SA.
While SA may take comfort that Trump’s disruptive force is not directed at this part of the world, the damage set to be wrought by his isolationist stance will be felt here for years to come.
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