Global Health Corps Bill
April 29th, 2005 by Art.US legislation for global health corps IANS Washington April 27: United States Senate majority leader, Mr Bill Frist has introduced legislation to help citizens in foreign countries through a global health corps, modeled like the Peace Corps of the 1960s.
The Global Health Corps Act of 2005 creates a programme for Americans to provide healthcare and related services to aid foreign communities.
“This legislation harnesses the power generated by America’s most precious resource: its generous and compassionate citizens. Within our borders there exists a vast reservoir of talent, knowledge and compassion that can help heal our global neighbours,” said Mr Frist, a Republican from Tennessee.
“And by sharing these talents with regions in need, we can spread health and healing while bolstering our nation’s image throughout the world,” he said.
He said: “Having treated patients in desperate and war-ravaged areas, this cause is near and dear to my heart. I have seen that real, tangible, medical intervention can help bridge the gaps and misunderstandings that so often divide cultures.”
“The recent tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean is a prime example. This legislation reflects the universal truth that medicine is not only an instrument of health, but a currency of peace.”
Similar to the Peace Corps, the bill establishes within the department of health and human services the office of the Global Health Corps.
The office will coordinate, unify and focus on the provision of healthcare personnel and services abroad by US government agencies and departments, by private organisations, and by US citizens serving as volunteers.
This office will also work with international and regional organisations, NGOs and foreign governments to accomplish its mission.
The Global Health Corps will include US government employees and non-federal volunteers (like private-sector doctors, nurses, veterinarians) who are trained healthcare professionals and practitioners.
It will also have a rapid response capacity that will consist of individuals from within the US Public Health Service who are trained, equipped and able to go to a foreign country or region within 72 hours in order to respond to healthcare disasters and emergencies.
May 3rd, 2005 at 12:39 pm
This seems a bit off to me, Peace Corps is already in place, we already have the infrastructure, the volunteers and the brand. Why not take that money and expand the program? I’m going to guess that this has more to do with liberal institutions, like Bush starting “The Millennium Challenge Account” instead of using Kennedy era USAID. It has nothing to do with the idea of helping, but the idea of controlling.
May 9th, 2005 at 2:07 pm
I would wonder what a non federal volunteer working for an independent federal agency run by Congress and mirrored after PC is.
The Millenium Challenge Corporation(yes, the President is an appointee also) is run by the Appointee at the State Department, I am not sure if they volunteer for two years like the other elitist global org(forgot that name again!).