Why We Must Care About Trump As A Care-Snatcher

Why We Must Care About Trump As A Care-Snatcher

By

Ibrahim Musa

The year 2017 will serve as an epoch for so many reasons. It heralded the emergence of the billionaire businessman, Donald Trump, as President of the United States, which by implication is a turning point for proponents of nationalism over globalization. From the Brexit to aborted Calexit, and now renewed Scottish interest in the referendum that would guarantee them independence- the stage is fully set for an interesting metamorphosis. The world is not totally unmindful of these reappearing borders that ought to have gone for good with the collapse of Berlin wall. It might have even shrunk to the faintest line with Zuckerberg’s Facebook, Twitter and Istagram, but its potential to regrow with speed of light has always remained a major obstacle.

 This evolution poses challenge to global security agenda and healthcare. For instance, in his first Budget proposal President Trump intends to make huge cuts on foreign aids, scales down contributions to United Nations (UN) programs, and underfund Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs, in order channel more funds to homeland security, defense, wall erection, and raids cum deportations of illegal immigrants. Even the World Bank will see its contributions from the US plummeting by $650 million. This may affect many public health intervention programs like “Saving One Million Lives”, in Nigeria. The bank may also have to look for other sources in order to meet up to its commitment of $200 million credit line to support Nigeria’s plan for humanitarian crisis in the northeastern part. This is a project that would ordinarily touch hundred of thousands of the over 2 million internally displaced persons in 3 states (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe).

Curious enough, Trump administration has not provided any fund to the Forgarty International Center, which is a subdivision of National Institute of Health (NIH) that supports global health programs. Since its inception it has supported over 5000 scientists from across the world, and almost 400 collaborative researches and trainings were undertaking with its support. Nigerian academic and health institutions have benefited a lot from many of these NIH supported groundbreaking researches, such as the Primary Stroke Prevention In Nigeria (SPIN) and Secondary Stroke Prevention in Nigeria (SPRiNG) trials- all of which are anchored in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. The future of similar collaborations is now hazy considering the uncertainties of Trump’s impulsive policies.

Climate change is one of the main reasons behind the surge in emerging and reemerging diseases (mostly zoonotic infections such as Ebola). African nations are often worst hit by this effect despite that they contribute very small to the emission of greenhouse gases. Global warming effects like droughts, desertification and flooding, with attendant consequences of malnutrition and epidemics, are largely and frequently seen in Africa or Asia. In Nigeria, the war-torn northeastern region has already seen over 90% receding of lake Chad from 1960s. It is one of the major sources of food and jobs, in addition to providing drinking water to about 63 million people in Nigeria and other neighboring countries. This decline in economic fortunes has been associated with fueling conflicts and extremisms around the region, causing over 20,000 deaths. Even Nigeria’s quest to eradicate polio suffers a set back when 2 new cases were discovered in Borno- just a year before the country gets final certification as polio free. These cases came from hitherto inaccessible areas, which were liberated but were missed during the previous rounds of polio immunization campaigns.

The world has made significant attempt at reversing some of these damages caused by indiscriminate emission of industrial gases, and the toxic effects of effluents on our water sources and environment. In 1997, there was Kyto protocol, which assigned every signatory nation a carbon footprint with carbon credit system to balance up the emission rate. The United States opted rather to be guided by its EPA recommendations. Since during the campaign period, Trump has shown inclination toward the conspiracists. He is now seen to be matching his rhetoric with an action by cutting down EPA budget by a staggering $2.5 billion (31%). And US’s contributions to the global climate change initiative will evidently suffer majorly from the larger 28% cut on the States Department budget.

There is still glimmer of hope in Trump’s budget for countries like Nigeria. He has promised, in the content of “America First” budget, to maintain American government commitment to Global Alliance for Vaccines Initiatives (GAVI). Thus, routine immunization programs supported by GAVI in Nigeria will hopefully continue unaffected. Not only immunization programs, thousands of people living with HIV will not have their anti-retroviral drugs abruptly withdrawn. The America-centric budget has promised to make available adequate funds for the President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was introduced during the George W. Bush jr. administration. Therefore, it appears to have the conservative’s seal of approval. This program has been estimated to earmark almost $7 billion annually, since inception, providing free HIV care in the developing countries.

Kenyans would say it is not yet uhuru. Policy makers in Nigeria should have the foresight to analyze these emerging trends and make amend where necessary. It is apparent that Trump’s administration will continue on its rollercoaster of nationalism; with a trajectory of impulsivity. It seems that it is not only global health that would suffer from Trump administration's apparent aversion to public health, even the American healthcare system will receive the shock of its life if his proposed “repeal and replace” Obamacare scales through the hurdles of legislation. So far the Congregational Budget Officer (CBO) has revealed that about 20 million Americans stand to lose their insurance coverage when eventually Trump’s/Ryan’s bill get the House stamp of approval. At the current trajectory we are moving on, Nigeria’s health system is not resilient enough and will collapse if all foreign aids/interventions will stop forthwith.


Published by Nigeria Now Magazine in its April Edition:

http://www.nigerianow.co/must-care-trump-care-snatcher/

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