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US aid freeze, WHO withdrawal won't disrupt health services in PH, says DOH
The Department of Health (DOH) assures that its services will remain uninterrupted despite the US President's executive order freezing new international aid.
The DOH confirmed that its services and the expansion of PhilHealth benefit packages remain unaffected by the US aid freeze, as the Philippines is engaging in multilateral arrangements with various countries for health systems strengthening.
The US President's order includes a 90-day stop-work on existing and new foreign development assistance, halting the supply of lifesaving drugs, including HIV medicines, to countries supported by the US Agency for International Development.
The US President also signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO), of which it is the largest financier.
WHO has expressed dismay over this decision, urging the US President to reconsider, as the agency has led global responses to health emergencies and funded programs to increase healthcare access.
A local organization, LoveYourSelf Inc., announced it is temporarily pausing the distribution of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV self-testing kits.
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Health Secretary Ted Herbosa stated that the temporary freeze on US foreign aid will have a minimal impact on the Philippines.
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The US government's temporary freeze on foreign aid is threatening efforts to curb the HIV epidemic in the Philippines, a nation with one of the world's fastest-growing epidemics.
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The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is monitoring a 90-day freeze on US foreign assistance worldwide, announced by US President Donald Trump.
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Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez assured Filipinos that there is no need to worry about the temporary suspension of US foreign assistance.
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Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin described US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization (WHO) as "understandable" but expressed concern over its implications for other countries, including the Philippines.
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