American Journal of Public Health: Health and Justice in a Time of Austerity
James Pfeiffer, executive director of Health Alliance International (HAI) and professor with the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington

“…Even in a time of exponential growth in aid for health, only a trickle finds its way to the building blocks of national health systems where the vast majority access care in Africa. And a patchwork of foreign NGOs is simply no substitute for these basic services. … A consortium of NGOs, including HAI, is promoting an ‘NGO Code of Conduct for Health System Strengthening’ to support the public sector. Generous global health funding over the last decade has created a new sense of possibility. Redirecting these resources toward public institutions can transform health in Africa and beyond. Our international search for health and justice begins with rejection of austerity and renewed solidarity with our public sector colleagues providing care to the poor majority around the world” (6/11).