Global Health Council Welcomes President Obama's Call in Ghana for Comprehensive...

Global Health Council Welcomes President Obama's Call in Ghana for
Comprehensive Global Health Strategy

ACCRA, Ghana, July 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Global Health Council
welcomes President Obama's call during remarks today to the Ghanaian
Parliament in Accra, Ghana, for an integrated and comprehensive American
response to the health issues facing Africa.

The president's remarks came after a visit earlier in the day with First Lady
Michelle Obama to see the maternal health services provided at the U.S. Agency
for International Development-funded La General Hospital in Accra. According
to press reports, the President told reporters at the hospital, "Part of
reason this is so important is that throughout Africa, the rate of both infant
mortality but also maternal mortality is still far too high." During his
speech to Parliament, the President said that the U.S. "will not invest in
diseases in isolation" and invest in health systems to provide better care to
women and children.

"The President made a strong statement today to the women, children and
families in Ghana and throughout Africa that the United States is committed to
working in partnership to reduce maternal and child deaths on the continent,"
said Jeffrey L. Sturchio, President and CEO of the Global Health Council. "The
Global Health Council commends the Obama Administration's pledge to institute
a comprehensive U.S. global health strategy that includes heightened
commitment to maternal and child health and family planning. The Council and
our members look forward to continued collaboration with the Administration,
Congress and our developing country partners to ensure that this new approach
delivers the results we all want to see."

In May, President Obama proposed a comprehensive six-year, $63 billion Global
Health Initiative beginning with fiscal year 2009. The initiative calls for
$51 billion to be invested in programs to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and
tuberculosis and $12 billion for other major global health priorities,
including cost-effective interventions to reduce maternal and child mortality.
The Global Health Council's top recommendation to President Obama's transition
team was to create a comprehensive global health strategy, and the Council has
been working with the global health community to call for robust investments
to carry out the strategy.

Twenty-seven organizations in the maternal health, child health and
reproductive health communities have come together under the Family Health
Roundtable, convened by the Council, to call on the Obama Administration to
implement a Global Family Health Action Plan as a critical component of the
Global Health Initiative. The Global Family Health Action Plan would give the
United States the opportunity to achieve dramatic success in improving global
health by radically reducing the 9 million deaths among young children and the
half-million deaths among women from pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the
approximately 76 million unintended pregnancies that occur every year.

The Global Health Council is the world's largest membership alliance dedicated
to saving lives by improving health throughout the world. The Council serves
and represents public health organizations and professionals working in more
than 140 countries. www.globalhealth.org
CONTACT:
Vince Blaser, The Global Health Council
+1-301-787-4131 or vblaser@globalhealth.org

SOURCE Global Health Council

Vince Blaser, The Global Health Council, +1-301-787-4131,
vblaser@globalhealth.org