Global Health Service Corps essential to improve African health systems, achieve 'AIDS-free generation'

"A notable feature of Secretary [of State Hillary Rodham] Clinton's 'AIDS-free generation' initiative is to strengthen health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa, ... a view echoed by many eminent voices in the global health community," Anand Reddi of the University of Colorado Medical School writes in a post on Huffington Post's "Impact" blog. "To address the African health care workforce shortage, I encourage Secretary Clinton to adopt the principles of the" Global Health Service Corps (GHSC), which would be composed of U.S. health professionals who could "provide medical education and technical assistance to enhance the health care workforces in low-income countries," Reddi says. In addition, the GHSC would focus on "infrastructure development, knowledge transfer, and capacity building," Reddi writes.

"The success of the 'AIDS-free generation' initiative depends on the availability of skilled health care workers in African resource-limited settings. Additionally, the eventual transition from a U.S. to African led HIV/AIDS response requires the U.S. to teach and train health care personnel in recipient countries through collaborative partnerships that eventually lead to African ownership of their domestic health care needs," Reddi writes, concluding, "The U.S. should enact the GHSC to ensure the success and sustainability of the ... initiative" (11/9).