Recent news
July 2010
USAID head examines maternal health interventions, country ownership
During a June 29 event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah highlighted how health tools and robust health systems can help prevent maternal deaths worldwide. "Medical technology and strong health systems have made maternal death a relative rarity in" wealthy nations such as the United States, Shah said, adding, "But in sub-Saharan Africa, the story is very different. … The fact that some women are more likely to be HIV positive and more than 200 times more likely to die during childbirth than a woman in the United States is simply unacceptable."
Shah also examined the role of health innovations, such as new diagnostic tools for global health diseases like tuberculosis, in the Global Health Initiative. "[R]esearch and innovation are critical to the Global Health Initiative. Game-changing new technologies, such as new diagnostics, will change the economics of treatment across a range of diseases," Shah said, adding, "By using these types of new breakthroughs, we can save money, treat more people and save lives." See the links below for more information.
