Donor dependency is not a path to health sovereignty in the region.
Donald Trump’s aid cuts sent a shockwave through Pacific health departments. Governments across the region have been scrambling to secure critical programs and to understand potential gaps created.
Among the most important programs on the chopping block was the USAID funded HIV/AIDS programs Fiji and PNG. The timing was poor, with both Fiji and PNG in the midst of worsening and highly publicised increases in HIV infection rates. Australia’s budget changes in March offered a lifeline, a $119 million funding diversion from other global programs. But this is a band-aid fix. The reality is that core service delivery in the Pacific should not be reliant on foreign governments. The health of Pacific people – access to vaccines, maternal care, health education – should not be dependent on the interests, interventions and whims of external actors.
Pacific Island countries have depended on international aid to sustain and develop their health systems since independence. Donors such as the United States, through USAID, and Australia, through AUSAID and later DFAT, have played central roles in supporting the region’s health infrastructure. Many non-governmental organisations have also played significant roles.
