The idea of the US government to cut foreign aid budgets forced Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations to issue warning. The foundation is active in helping people with HIV, childbirth illness, malaria, and childhood illness. It is predictable that if the government really cuts the budget, these people in need will not get the aid. The foundation shows that unless the current foreign aid program is continued, the results will be terrible.
Gates Foundations: The Budget Cuts Results in Terrible Effects
The foundation’s chief executive – Susan Desmond-Hellman, estimated that even 10% budget cut could put the lives of 5 million people at stakes. This particularly applies for several aspects, including:
HIV
Global HIV-related deaths peaked in 2005. At that time, HIV death rate was 0.3 per 1.000 people. Since the governed issued President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the rate has been cut by a third. PEPFAR program includes prevention services and distribution of anti-retroviral drugs.
Gates Foundation’s representative said that if the foreign aid budgets are increased, the HIV death rate can decrease to 0.06 per 1000 people. On the other hand, when the budget is cut, the death rate can increase to 0.19 per 1000 people. Effects on foreign aid budget cut is not less serious in other aspects, like child mortality.
Vaccine and Immunization
For instance, child deaths show promising decrease from 1990 to 2016. The death rates of children under 5 years of age was 11.2 million every year in 1990. The number decreased to 5 million in 2016. Gates Foundation served as a catalyst for global vaccine and immunization program.
The foundation’s representative said that when the current level of budgets was continued, the death rates of children under age 5 would decrease to 2.5 million by 2030. On the other hand, when the aid budget is cut, the death rates of children under age 5 would increase to 3.3 in the same period. In other words, more fund supports from the federal government means saving additional 500.000 kids every year. On the contrary, budget can would mean a terrible result, namely 1.1 million children are dying every year.
Malaria
World Health Organization reported that this disease is the seventh leading cause of death, particularly in low-income societies. Every decision related to foreign aid budget could have massive effects. WHO estimated that when the current support was continued, malaria-related death rates would remain the same, namely about 29 per 1.000. In case of budget cut, the death rates would probably increase to 39 per 1000 people.
Gates Foundation is participating in a research to develop malaria vaccine with GlaxoSmithKline. The Research & Development project is expected to save another 5 per 1000 people at global level. For this, the foundation admitted that they need new tools to face global resistance and to develop anti-malarial drugs.
The foundation certainly needs financial support from the government in doing field programs and conducting R&D programs. Therefore, if the government cuts the foreign aid budget, regardless of the reason, many people will be on jeopardy. Among the major diseases, malaria is the most dangerous one.