Schakowsky, Lee, Ruiz, Brown Reintroduce Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution Calling for a 21st Century Global Health Strategy
WASHINGTON - Following the one-year anniversary of Dr. Paul Farmer’s death, U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Barbara Lee (CA-12), and Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25) joined U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in reintroducing the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution, to honor Dr. Farmer's life and legacy. This resolution lays out a 21st century global health strategy that proposes significantly increasing global health aid to $125 billion per year, works to prevent medically unnecessary deaths, and puts us on a path towards ending health inequities around the world.
"Dr. Paul Farmer is responsible for transforming the lives of millions and millions of poor and marginalized people around the world, bringing them health care, dignity, and justice. A true visionary, Paul insisted that all people have a right to excellent health care, and he developed systems to deliver it in places people had written off. Gleaming world class hospitals and locally trained doctors, nurses, and community workers now exist in places like Haiti and Rwanda. Paul was not only a world-renowned leader in global health, but also a precious friend and a tireless organizer, inspiring thousands of people to actively participate in his work. All of us owe him a debt that can only be paid by carrying on his mission and legacy," said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. "That is why I am reintroducing the Dr. Paul Farmer Memorial Resolution alongside Senator Sherrod Brown and my colleagues in the House, Representatives Lee and Ruiz. This resolution lays out a 21st Century Global Health Strategy that enshrines Paul's vision to achieve global universal health care and end unnecessary and preventable deaths. We are the richest country in the world at the richest time in the world. Paul called on us to understand global health inequities as an injustice—a result of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. We can make the choice to end global health inequities, and with Paul's vision guiding us, we will."
“A giant in the field of public health, Dr. Paul Farmer’s compassion, bold vision, and relentless dedication to equity made him a force for positive change on the global stage. Dr. Farmer treated his work not just as a day job, but a crusade to help others—and millions across the world are better off as a result. Dr. Farmer understood the need for people to work in concert: forming deep partnerships for development that put the people we are trying to help in control of their own healthier futures. He fought for everyone to have the right to health care, and he worked to secure that right for communities across Haiti, West Africa, and the world,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “I am honored to reintroduce this resolution alongside Reps. Schakowsky and Ruiz to honor the vision and legacy of Dr. Farmer and form a legal framework for others to follow in our pursuit of equity.”
"Dr. Paul Farmer was a visionary in global health, crusader for health equity, and accomplished physician with an unparalleled passion for social justice," said Dr. Raul Ruiz. "He was also my Harvard Medical School mentor, professor, and friend. I am honored to help introduce this resolution in his memory, which serves as a testament to all that he has done and achieved in global health."
“Dr. Paul Farmer changed how the world thinks about international aid and public health. Millions of people around the world are living longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives because of him and the movement he launched,” said Senator Sherrod Brown. “This resolution honors Paul and continues his work towards a healthier, more just world.”
The proposals in the House resolution are as follows:
- Increase global health aid to $125 billion per year
- Close the essential universal health care financing gap for low-income countries
- Allow the U.S. to meet the U.N. aid target of 0.7% GNI for the first time ever
- Reform global health aid
- Focus on building national health systems and direct funding to local partners, not the development industry
- Develop new medical technologies for diseases of poverty and ensure their availability as global public goods
- Make the global economy more fair, just, and democratic
- Democratizing the IMF, World Bank, and World Trade Organization, so that poor countries have greater say over decisions that affect their economies and their ability to finance health systems
- Global debt cancelation for all developing countries that need it
- Ending harmful licit and illicit financial flows from poor countries—ending global tax havens and illegal practices like trade misinvoicing
- Supporting global labor rights, such as a global minimum wage
As an infectious disease physician, Dr. Farmer earned accolades for treating patients in impoverished countries with high quality care, including those suffering from HIV and cancer. As a medical anthropologist, he was known for popularizing and deepening understandings of "structural violence," the idea that social systems are designed to impoverish, sicken, and sideline select groups. As chief strategist of Partners in Health, he garnered plaudits for pioneering community-based treatment strategies, building teaching hospitals, and more. Dr. Farmer called on us to understand global health inequity as an injustice—an effect of centuries of violence and exploitation inflicted on the global poor. This resolution embodies that and will serve as a North Star that will guide the movement for global health equity for years to come.
In addition to Schakowsky, Lee, Ruiz, and Brown, U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have cosponsored the legislation.
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