U.S. Quietly Drafts Plan to End Program That Saved Millions From AIDS
Planning documents for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, obtained by The New York Times, call for the organization to set a new course that focuses on 'transitioning' countries away from U.S. assistance, some in as little as two years.
PEPFAR, as the program is called, would cease to exist as an initiative to provide medicines and services needed to treat and prevent the spread of H.I.V. in low-income countries.
It would be replaced by 'bilateral relationships' with low-income countries focused on the detection of outbreaks that could threaten the United States and the creation of new markets for American drugs and technologies, according to the documents.
'With targeted investment, PEPFAR's H.I.V. control capabilities in these countries could be transformed into a platform for rapid detection and outbreak response to protect Americans from disease threats like Ebola,' the plan says.
A State Department spokeswoman said the document had not been finalized. 'The referenced document is not reflective of the State Department's policy on PEPFAR and was never cleared by Department leadership,' she said.
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24 minutes ago
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Landlord jailed for decades in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American family has died
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Why Florida is missing out on $200 million a year in Medicaid funding for schools
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