4 days ago
On the brink: Why slashing spending on global health will make us all sicker
This week, the Chancellor received a letter from those who know the NHS inside out with a plea to think again about international aid.
It was signed by Presidents of diaspora health associations from across the UK, representing thousands of overseas-born healthcare workers serving in our NHS. Their message was clear: if the UK retreats further from its global health commitments, we all lose.
These are not lobbyists or idealists. They're doctors, nurses and specialists on the front line of British healthcare. They understand the hard economics of government budgets. But they also understand something the Treasury may be in danger of missing: global health isn't charity. It's a vital investment in our own safety, economy and NHS resilience.
When the UK backs health partnerships abroad, it's not altruism. Helping others stay healthy is one of the smartest ways to protect ourselves. Programmes like the Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardships funded by DHSC's Fleming fund, link NHS teams with hospitals in low-and middle-income countries to tackle antimicrobial resistance. So far, more than 65,000 health workers have been trained. Prescribing has improved. Infection controls are stronger.
Meanwhile, UK staff return with invaluable experience that strengthens our NHS, from leadership under pressure to a deeper understanding of infectious diseases. It's the kind of low cost, high impact intervention any sensible government should double down on.
Before the 2021 cuts, a programme called the UK Partnerships for Health Systems was set to train 78,000 global healthcare workers and improve care for hundreds of thousands of patients. It was abruptly slashed by £48million. Programmes were halted. Partnerships paused. Opportunities for mutual learning lost. That was the last government. We did not expect to see the same thing happen under this government, with its distinguished track-record of supporting UK Aid over many decades.
The letter from the Presidents of Diaspora Associations makes it clear what this means in real terms – not just for patients in low-income countries, but for UK health care workers whose knowledge and innovation stem from these international exchanges.
One in five NHS workers is a non-UK national. Their expertise connects the UK to over 200 health systems worldwide. They help make the NHS one of the most internationally engaged healthcare systems on the planet. Many trained in countries with fragile systems. Many are already playing leadership roles in linking British institutions with their counterparts overseas.
In Tanzania, a partnership led by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust helped introduce laparoscopic surgery and set up a burns unit. In Ethiopia, Nottingham's NHS trust collaborated with Jimma University to improve trauma and diabetes care. The return on investment? More skilled, confident UK staff - and stronger UK healthcare at home.
Health partnerships do far more than train workers. They help develop curricula, fortify health systems overseas and importantly, build Britain's global reputation at a time when influence is in short supply. The UK-Africa Health Summit earlier this year showed the power of collaboration, bringing together Ministers, health leaders and diaspora professionals to forge solutions on workforce mobility and pandemic preparedness.
This diplomacy is with a scalpel, not a sword – and it works.
The Chancellor faces tough choices. But cutting the global health budget and not mitigating the consequences, would be a false economy. It would weaken our defences against future pandemics, shrink the NHS's talent pipeline and damage our standing in the world.
As the letter from diaspora leaders makes clear: this is not a plea for charity. It's a call for strategic investment.
Let's not wait for the next global crisis to remind us that disease doesn't respect borders. Let's act now – to protect the NHS, promote economic stability and ensure Britain remains a trusted force for health and progress worldwide.
Ben Simms is CEO of Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET)
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