US President Donald Trump has announced that programmes supported by the United States Agency for International Development will stay suspended
Newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump’s decision to “suspend” programmes that are supported by the United States Agency for International Development will impact among other things, India’s battle against tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and also the programmes that are targeted towards ensuring maternal and child health.
Of these the impact on TB may be the most significant, coming as it does just months away from the accelerated deadline that India has set for itself for eliminating the disease. In 2018, prime minister Narendra Modi had committed that India would get rid of the bacterial courge by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline of 2030.
USAID infuses an estimated $63 million into India every year for various targetted programmes in the health space. The decision to keep USAID support suspended comes on the heels of a decision by the Trump administration to withdraw from the World Health Organisation. While that would mean a significant reduction in the funds available to the global body, experts believe that the effect of that decision on India would be minimal.
Sources in the Union ministry of health and family welfare say that while India has made significant strides in the fight against TB, a lot of ground still remains to be covered. “We have been consistently reducing the gap of missing cases and have significantly recovered lost ground during the COVID19 pandemic. In 2023, 24 lakh TB cases had been notified; for 2024 we expect the number to be about 26 lakh. We have also launched the 100 day campaign under which we are screening seven identified vulnerable groups even when they are asymptomatic. These include smokers, alcoholics, diabetics etc. We have adopted a whole of government approach,” explained a senior health ministry official. Experts working in the ground say that the technical support that USAID had given to the programme had been crucial and its absence will be “keenly felt”.
In a letter to its partners in India, USAID had written: “Effective today, the Agreement Officer hereby issues an order for the recipient to immediately suspend performance under the agreement your organization was awarded by USAID/India. The recipient shall take all reasonable steps to minimize the incurrence of costs allocable to the agreement during the period of award suspension.”
