Dear friends, On the last day of 2021, PIH co-founder Dr. Paul Farmer wrote a powerful letter to this global community of activists, caregivers, and donors. His words are bracing, and they remind us each time we read them that we are capable of far more than we imagine—so long as we continue to reject what Paul called the “tyranny of either/or.”
We’re forwarding his message because it cuts to the core—the why—behind the work we do, and in a moment when we’re urgently asking for your financial support remembering why our mission exists and why it must succeed is crucial. We’ve forwarded his whole email below, but this is a key section: |
“Across the globe, COVID-19 mitigation and response efforts have followed a familiar path. As a rule, policies and protocols have been debated under the unjust tyranny of “either/or”—and nowhere is this tyranny more vicious than in discussions of what is suitable for the poor. Either control the virus or care for the ill, either distribute masks or fill oxygen canisters, either invest in contact tracing or in readily available testing. Either protect people or care for them. We do not have to accept this false choice.
Instead, I’m asking you to join us and imagine a response to pandemic disease where we both protect and care for each other.
Ever since our founding, Partners In Health has sought to replace “either/or” with “both-and.” We argued—and then proved—that the efforts to control TB, HIV, and later, Ebola, should include both enterprising control measures and effective treatments. We maintain that clinics and hospitals for the poor should provide world-class medical care, and they should also be beautiful, dignified spaces.”
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Dear friends,
We are nearly two years into a global pandemic response, and I am uplifted to know that our team is stronger than ever. We continue to serve millions of patients while responding to an ever-evolving pandemic. And as a society, we are capable of doing far more to protect and care for each other than has been done so far. |
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Across the globe, COVID-19 mitigation and response efforts have followed a familiar path. As a rule, policies and protocols have been debated under the unjust tyranny of “either/or”—and nowhere is this tyranny more vicious than in discussions of what is suitable for the poor. Either control the virus or care for the ill, either distribute masks or fill oxygen canisters, either invest in contact tracing or in readily available testing. Either protect people or care for them. We do not have to accept this false choice.
Instead, I’m asking you to join us and imagine a response to pandemic disease where we both protect and care for each other.
Ever since our founding, Partners In Health has sought to replace “either/or” with “both-and.” We argued—and then proved—that the efforts to control TB, HIV, and later, Ebola, should include both enterprising control measures and effective treatments. We maintain that clinics and hospitals for the poor should provide world-class medical care, and they should also be beautiful, dignified spaces.
Clearly, either/or is no way to protect and care for each other—how could it be? It’s the same logic that led to HIV responses highlighting abstinence “education” for the global poor with no treatment for the dying when prevention failed. It’s the same logic that says the poor cannot have ultrasounds because they also lack nutrition. Using impoverishment to excuse the imposition of scarcity has failed not only the test of COVID-19, but also that of every previous pandemic, not to mention the basic contract of medicine.
“Both-and” is a radical response in an economic system built on scarcity, but it’s the only way to provide health care as the human right that it is, and it’s the only way to get ahead of a mutating virus. |
On December 31, 2020, I wrote to this community about two newly approved vaccines that promised to be powerful new tools in the effort to contain and eventually end the COVID-19 pandemic. I wrote: “We must make sure they are delivered globally (and preferentially) to the poorest and most marginalized. Simply put, failing to execute a rapid rollout around the world will ensure that this pathogen lives on.” A year later, it is clear that my concerns (which were not unique to me) were realized. I hardly need to remind you what happened: World leaders bowed to the tyranny of either/or and decided to prioritize vaccines for wealthy nations. The pathogen lived on, and it continues to spread and evolve. We have a chance as the year turns over to replace “either/or” with “both-and.” Together, we can continue to irrigate clinical deserts with the care that is every person’s human right. Together, we can protect and care for each other.
https://www.pih.org/triplematch In solidarity, Dr. Paul Farmer Co-founder and Chief Strategist Partners In Health |
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