The US decision to slash its foreign aid program has led to an increase in deaths of pregnant women and babies in Nepal. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The decision by US President Donald Trump's administration to eliminate the United States Agency for International Development last year gutted maternal and child health programs worldwide. In Nepal, the funding cuts led to the closure of nutrition and reproductive outreach programs designed to save mothers' and babies' lives.
The US State Department says it still supports programs in Nepal aimed at improving maternal and child health. But health workers, government officials, aid workers and families in Nepal say the funding cuts have had a devastating and deadly impact.
Associated Press journalists investigated the situation in Gaur, Nepal, where 20-year-old Anita Gupta receives an ultrasound, and 5-year-old Sonam Mukhiya lives with her grandmother Lachhiya Devi. Sonam's mother, Kabita Mukhiya, died in December while 28-weeks pregnant amid disruptions to nutrition programs and reproductive outreach services following last year's foreign aid cuts by the United States.
In a clinic in Gaur, a doctor examines a woman, while children play nearby. These cases reflect the dire state of Nepal's healthcare system.
The consequences of US aid cuts continue to unfold, and the lives of women and children in Nepal remain at risk. This issue requires attention from the international community.