A South Florida congresswoman is championing a bill to “empower the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to boost its research and development capabilities for health care technologies in low- and middle-income countries abroad.”
U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla.. is backing U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s, R-Penn., “Supporting Innovative Global Health Technologies (SIGHT) Act.” U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., is also co-sponsoring the bill.
“The United States must remain a leader in health technology innovation at home and abroad,” said Fitzpatrick when he introduced the bill earlier in the month. “Our bipartisan bill aims to address global health issues and provide further research and development in order to help save millions of lives on the world stage.”
“We need stronger American investments to tackle the global health challenges of the 21st century,” said Salazar. “The SIGHT Act establishes a program dedicated to research at USAID, allowing us to better focus our energy on transformative tools that can save lives and drive down costs. I’m proud to co-lead this bipartisan bill to improve healthcare outcomes for the most vulnerable.”
“COVID-19 laid bare that we must ensure populations at home and abroad have the resources to innovate rapidly, and that global health directly impacts economic stability and prosperity. As health emergencies continue to affect communities worldwide, it’s important that we invest in organizations with a track record of successfully advancing global health. One great example is USAID,” said Houlahan. “I am proud to introduce this bipartisan piece of legislation to support USAID, enabling them to advance cross-cutting research and development and respond quickly to emerging public health threats.”
The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; the Center for Global Health Innovation; the Coalition for Health Research and Development; the Global Health Council; and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases are among the dozens of groups backing the bill.
The bill was sent to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
