USAID dismantling leaves global health void that China's lending-based aid cannot fill

Summary

The dismantling of USAID has severely impacted public health organizations globally, exemplified by the Pyi Gyi Khin organization in Myanmar which lost 14 experienced staff, saw its budget cut by 80%, and watched life-saving HIV medications spoil after a 2025 earthquake destroyed cold-chain storage. The article argues that China's aid model—lending $35 for every dollar donated—cannot replace the void left by American foreign aid, and that decades of public health progress have been undone in a single year.