6.5 million children at risk, says expert Atul Gawande as Trump freezes funds

American surgeon and public health expert, Dr Atul Gawande, has criticised the Trump administration's stop-work order of 90 days, which puts a pause on all existing foreign assistance and stopped all new aid. This freeze is a part of a series of executive orders passed by the Trump administration. Gawande has criticised the move and said it could lead to grave consequences for the health of people across the world, including in the US. It would affect the lives of 6.5 million orphans and vulnerable children, said Gawande. He said monitoring of outbreaks of deadly diseases would stop, and their spread would go largely unchecked.

"I ran @USAID health programs for the last 3 years. Trump’s 90-day Stop Work Order on foreign assistance does serious damage to the world and the US," posted Gawande on X.

USAID is the United States Agency for Development. It is a US government agency which deals with international development and humanitarian assistance programmes.

Under Trump 2.0, billions worth of spending on life-saving aid has been stopped. Gawande stated multiple implications of what this would lead to.

"Stops work battling a deadly Marburg outbreak in Tanzania and a wide outbreak of a mpox variant killing children in West Africa before it spreads further," he noted.

He also stated how this would lead to a pause on monitoring of bird flu in 49 countries. It would also put a stop to eradicating polio from the world.

"Stops >$1B in corporate drug donations and coordination eradicating tropical diseases like river blindness, elephantiasis, and others on the verge of elimination in whole regions," Gawande added.

It will also stop drug donations for tropical diseases such as river blindness, elephantiasis, and others on the verge of elimination in whole regions.

This will also affect vulnerable people across the world.

"Stop direct services for 6.5 million orphans, vulnerable children, and their caregivers affected by HIV in 23 countries," he added. Around 20 million people living with HIV will also be impacted.

According to Gawande, the move will also lead to a halt in contract staff for the global health bureau.

"This Administration is trashing US standing, alliances with scores of countries built over half a century, world-leading capacity and expertise, and American security. Make no mistake — these essential, lifesaving activities are being halted right now. Consequences aren’t in some distant future. They are immediate," the public health researcher cautioned.

USAID has distributed around $45 billion in foreign aid to 158 countries, including $175 million to India, $231 million to Pakistan and $400 million to Bangladesh, according to a Reuters report.

Gawande is also an author of several critically acclaimed books, including Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.