Politico | Coronavirus: Trump, ‘King of Ventilators’, may donate machines to Africa
- But the possible gesture won’t do much good unless it’s part of a larger strategy, aid experts say
- At the same time, it underscores Trump’s haphazard approach to foreign aid during the pandemic
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Nahal Toosi on politico.com on April 21, 2020.
The still-preliminary plan, confirmed by two Trump administration officials, could save lives on a continent sorely lacking such machines and enhance America’s standing in the face of Chinese efforts to gain diplomatic dominance across Africa.
The moves have raised concerns among current and former US officials that the administration isn’t being strategic in its virus-related aid plans.
“There’s a need for ventilators, but there’s also a need for a systemic response,” said Gayle Smith, who oversaw the US Agency for International Development during the Obama administration and now heads The ONE Campaign. “You need a functioning supply chain that is providing what’s needed, where it’s needed, when it’s needed.”
Trump in recent days has used his daily coronavirus news conferences to brag about a rise in the production of ventilators by US firms, some of whom have reconfigured their businesses to produce the breathing machines.
The president has pledged to send excess ventilators to other countries, but he’s primarily mentioned European states, such as Italy and Spain. He’s also said he’d send some to Mexico and even US adversary Iran, if it requested it.
“Last year, America manufactured, from a dead start, 30,000 ventilators. And this year, the number will be over 150,000 ventilators,” Trump said a week ago. “It could be as high as 200,000 – far more than we’ll ever need.”
The rise in numbers follows weeks of criticism directed at Trump over what state officials had warned was a looming ventilator shortage. The president clashed repeatedly over the matter with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose escalating cries for more federal help irked the White House, which insisted he was overstating the need.
Trump has since claimed vindication, hailing Cuomo’s own statements affirming that the federal government had provided everything he asked.
Much of the plan for donating the ventilators to African countries is being pulled together within the National Security Council, the two administration officials said. A spokesman for the NSC, John Ullyot, declined to confirm that. “We don’t comment on or verify rumours of internal deliberations at the NSC,” he said.
The plan, which the officials stressed could still be scuttled, is for manufacturers to sell the machines to requesting African countries, with the United States stepping in to cover the cost.
Ventilators are complicated machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars and can require training to operate. The devices help people breathe, making them useful for the many Covid-19 patients who develop severe problems with their respiratory systems.
But health officials have warned that the worst may be yet to come, especially in poorer parts of the world where health infrastructures are weak and populations are often densely packed and undernourished.
US officials view stopping the coronavirus from engulfing developing countries as critical not just because it’s the nice thing to do but because it lowers the odds that the disease could rebound in other parts of the world, including America.
There’s also a question of geopolitics.
While current and former US officials said sending ventilators to African countries is a generous and helpful gesture, some warned that such machines often require training for medical professionals, as well as maintenance.
They also said what’s more urgently needed – especially to prevent infections in the first place – is personal protective equipment, or PPE.
“The bigger gap is PPE – and the more pressing one – because that’s what puts health care workers at risk,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former senior Obama administration USAID official who specialises in disaster response.
The Trump administration has effectively halted US agencies from sending masks, gloves and other PPE abroad because there are shortages within the United States. Trump has also used various legal authorities to compel some US manufacturers to increase production of such items for American use.
A draft memo that lays out when such PPE can be sent overseas is still being circulated within the administration. US officials had hoped that memo would have been finalised and released days ago.
Adding to the overall confusion is Trump’s decision to block funding to the WHO, which he has accused of being too willing to cover up the mistakes made by China, where the virus originated.
Officials with the USAID have been told to find partners beyond the WHO to help implemented aid programmes. But in many countries, especially in Africa, the WHO is the most realistic partner available.
