Global Health Partnerships and UK diaspora health leaders urge UK Government to protect and restore global health funding
Today, Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET) has sent a powerful joint letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt. Hon. Rachel Reeves MP, on behalf of 24 UK diaspora health associations. Representing over 43,000 NHS and global health professionals, the letter makes a united call for the UK government to protect and restore funding for global health ahead of the announcement of the results of the Spending Review next week.
Coordinated by Global Health Partnerships, the letter underscores the vital role that UK aid and Health Partnerships play in strengthening health systems around the world—and in turn, protecting public health and supporting the NHS here in the UK. It highlights the long-standing and deeply rooted engagement of diaspora health professionals, who not only enrich the NHS but also foster global cooperation through development-focused partnerships.
“Failing to prioritise funding for global health would be a false economy,” the letter warns. “It would weaken our health security, reduce mutual benefits for the NHS, damage international relationships, and limit our economic potential.”
Key messages to the Chancellor include:
- Recognising global health funding as central to a future-ready NHS
- Protecting global health investment in the Spending Review
- Restoring the UK’s Official Development Assistance commitment to 0.7% of GNI as soon as fiscal conditions allow.
Global Health Partnerships stands alongside diaspora leaders in urging the government to see investment in global health not as charity, but as a strategic necessity for the UK’s public health, prosperity, and global leadership.
