President Barack Obama on Tuesday asked Congress to approve his 2010 Fiscal Year budget request of $63 billion over six years to forge a new global health strategy.
In a White House statement, he commented on the recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus and the ease at which it spread across borders and oceans.
“We cannot wall ourselves off from the world and hope for the best, nor ignore the public health challenges beyond our borders. An outbreak in Indonesia can reach Indiana within days, and public health crises abroad can cause widespread suffering, conflict, and economic contraction,” said Obama.
The President spoke of when he was a U.S. Senator, how he supported the Bush Administration’s effective President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Praising the plan and how it has provided medicine to some of the world’s poorest people, the President recognized that more needed to be done if diseases like AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis were to be brought under control.
“My budget makes critical investments in a new, comprehensive global health strategy. We support the promise of PEPFAR while increasing and enhancing our efforts to combat diseases that claim the lives of 26,000 children each day,” he said.
In conclusion the President admitted that “we cannot fix every problem,” however he acknowledged that there was a responsibility to protect the health of Americans and at the same time reduce suffering, and support the health of people everywhere.
“America can make a significant difference in meeting these challenges, and that is why my Administration is committed to act.”
In a White House statement, he commented on the recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus and the ease at which it spread across borders and oceans.
“We cannot wall ourselves off from the world and hope for the best, nor ignore the public health challenges beyond our borders. An outbreak in Indonesia can reach Indiana within days, and public health crises abroad can cause widespread suffering, conflict, and economic contraction,” said Obama.
The President spoke of when he was a U.S. Senator, how he supported the Bush Administration’s effective President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Praising the plan and how it has provided medicine to some of the world’s poorest people, the President recognized that more needed to be done if diseases like AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis were to be brought under control.
“My budget makes critical investments in a new, comprehensive global health strategy. We support the promise of PEPFAR while increasing and enhancing our efforts to combat diseases that claim the lives of 26,000 children each day,” he said.
In conclusion the President admitted that “we cannot fix every problem,” however he acknowledged that there was a responsibility to protect the health of Americans and at the same time reduce suffering, and support the health of people everywhere.
“America can make a significant difference in meeting these challenges, and that is why my Administration is committed to act.”
