Fostering research in the GHI
Secretary Clinton highlights US support for new health tools
For the first time, the Obama administration has detailed how the Global Health Initiative (GHI) will foster innovation to improve health worldwide. During a recent speech at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the GHI—President Obama's six-year, $63 billion commitment to global health—will invest in innovation specifically to develop new health tools to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases worldwide. "There is too little innovation focused on designing technologies and strategies that can work in resource-poor places and help the people who are hardest to reach," Clinton said. She added that the GHI is "investing in innovation, with a focus on developing tools that will help diagnose, prevent, and cure disease in the communities where we work, which are often remote and poor in resources."
Harnessing research, science, and innovation to develop new health products is crucial to ensure that US investments in global health and development are effective and sustainable, and the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) applauds this elevation of innovation for new health tools in the GHI.
Coordination among US agencies
In order to fully harness the power of innovation to develop new health tools, the GHI must capitalize on the knowledge of US agencies working in this field. A range of federal agencies—including the US Agency for International Development, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense—will be engaged with the GHI, and it is critical that their efforts be strategically coordinated to maximize their unique areas of expertise and ensure funds go as far as possible.
"There is too little coordination among all the countries and organizations, including in our own government, that deliver health services so critical gaps in care are left unaddressed," Clinton said. In an effort to enhance coordination, the GHI brings together experts from across the government, she added, noting, "Now, this is a unique leadership structure and it embeds our commitment to coordination at every level."
Sustainable investments
Finally, advancing innovation and research for global health can help ensure that US investments in international development are sustainable. For example, the GHI is working with partner countries to design and implement health strategies that they take the lead on based on their needs and areas of expertise, according to Clinton. She added that the GHI will help build country-level capacity to manage, oversee, coordinate, and operate programs in the long term. Investing in global health research can help build capacity in low-resource settings by training local health workers, establishing supply chains and protocols so health products reach people in need, or supporting health information systems.
Clinton concluded that by saying the purpose of the GHI is to tackle global health problems by "tying individual health programs together in an integrated, coordinated, sustainable system of care, with the countries themselves in the lead." She added, "If we succeed, we will have transformed how health is delivered and received across the world."
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