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US aid suspension to have minimal impact on PH health services—DOH chief
US aid suspension to have minimal impact on PH health services—DOH chief
By Jel Santos
The Department of Health (DOH) has reassured the public that the recent suspension of US foreign aid, prompted by US President Donald Trump’s directives, will have little impact on the country’s health programs.
Trump previously signed Executive Order 14169, titled “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,” placing a 90-day suspension on all US foreign assistance programs for a comprehensive assessment.
In an ambush interview Thursday, Jan. 30, DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa said that while US aid supports programs for HIV and tuberculosis (TB), the Philippines is no longer heavily dependent on American grants.
“As of now, all support for international aid has been put on hold. So, USAID funding for HIV and TB programs is currently paused,” Herbosa said.
“But the impact on us is very minimal. In fact, when this happened—when President Trump started cutting international aid—I had already started forming multilateral arrangements with other middle-income countries.”
Herbosa cited recent collaborations with Pacific Island nations and a recent partnership with Jamaica’s Ministry of Health to address similar public health concerns.
He noted that while the withdrawal of US aid would mostly affect low-income countries, the Philippines is now classified as a middle-income country, making it less reliant on grants.
“We are no longer a grant-receiving country because we are now a middle-income country. So we have to either loan from the World Bank or the Development Bank,” he explained.
Health services to continue
Despite the aid suspension, the DOH chief assured that their services will continue, as the government is prepared to cover any funding gaps.
“There is some effect, but it’s not significant,” Herbosa said. “We can make up for it with the budget that the president is providing. I think we can handle it, especially with the increasing benefits from PhilHealth.”
Should the aid halt become permanent, Herbosa said the DOH is prepared to seek alternative funding sources.
“I will replace those funds from the local budget. I will also ask the president and legislators for additional support,” he said.
“And there are many other countries—Australia, Korea, Japan. The US is not the only country in the world; there are 194 others. It’s easy to find new partners.”
Herbosa also pointed out that this is not the first time the US has paused foreign aid.
“They’ve done this before in the first [Trump] administration, and eventually, they resumed funding,” he said.