To authorize assistance to train and retain obstetrician-gynecologists and sub-specialists in urogynecology and to help improve the quality of care to meet the health care needs of women in least developed countries, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · May 23, 2024
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
This bill authorizes a new international training program to educate and retain obstetrician-gynecologists and urogynecology specialists in the world's least developed countries, with a focus on preventing and treating obstetric fistula, a childbirth injury affecting an estimated 500,000 women and girls worldwide. The program, to be administered through the National Institutes of Health's Fogarty International Center, would support fellowship programs, residency training, and specialized medical centers in partnership with local educational institutions and health care facilities. The bill requires the President to develop a comprehensive 10-year strategy addressing physician shortages in developing countries and submit annual progress reports to Congress, though it does not specify funding amounts. Key elements of the strategy include training programs, research on prevention and treatment, social science research on underlying causes, capacity-building partnerships with local universities and health institutes, and community education efforts. The program aims to align with United Nations goals to end obstetric fistula by 2030 by increasing access to quality maternal health care and trained medical professionals in regions with the highest need.
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