Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) Warns of Preventable Catastrophe, Urges Immediate Reversal of Cruel and Sudden Funding Cuts
An abrupt freeze on United States foreign aid is catalyzing a preventable health catastrophe in Ethiopia, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today in a new research brief. PHR calls on the Trump administration to reverse global health aid cuts and on other governments to help provide sustainable funding to address the health crisis in Ethiopia.
The PHR brief, “Shuttered Clinics, Preventable Deaths: The Impact of U.S. Global Health Funding Cuts in Ethiopia,” documents how the sudden cessation of U.S. funding is decimating a health system already strained by conflict – disrupting the supply of essential HIV commodities, limiting access to maternal health services, and placing critical nutrition interventions at risk.
“The Trump administration’s decision to abruptly sever lifesaving health funding is not just a policy misstep; it’s a direct assault on the fundamental human rights to health and life for millions of Ethiopians,” said Thomas McHale, SM, director of public health at PHR and a co-author of the brief. “This sudden withdrawal of aid – without consultation or transition planning – abandons patients mid-treatment, blocks food aid to malnourished babies, shutters clinics serving women who survived conflict-related sexual violence, and dismantles decades of hard-won progress in public health.”
“Since the USAID funding cut, we’ve lost even the minimal services we were providing – no dignity kits, no psychotropic medication, no transport support for survivors. Now we just sit and cry with survivors of sexual violence, unable to provide the care they urgently need,” said Sara Kindeya, coordinator at the Maychew One-Stop Center in Tigray, Ethiopia, which provides services and support to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence.
President Trump’s January 20 executive order, which paused foreign aid for a 90-day review without warning, has sent shockwaves through Ethiopia, a nation historically reliant on U.S. global health support. Services, which have largely not resumed after the 90-review period, include HIV prevention and treatment, maternal and child health services, nutrition programs, and post-rape care – services that are now severely disrupted or halted, according to PHR’s new research.
PHR’s brief, based on interviews with ten medical and public health experts in Ethiopia, including Addis Ababa and the conflict-affected Tigray region, conducted between February and May 2025, highlights the early tolls of the U.S. aid cuts:
- HIV Resurgence Risk: Decades of progress, when U.S. funding helped reduce AIDS-related deaths in Ethiopia by 79 percent, are now under threat. The aid freeze has disrupted essential HIV commodities like viral load testing materials and PEP kits. Thousands of health worker contracts have been terminated, stalling training and clinical support. Projections indicate a complete 90-day pause in PEPFAR (United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) funding alone could result in an estimated 3,600 excess deaths in Ethiopia and over 100,000 globally.
- Maternal and Child Health Crisis: Despite gains in maternal and child health outcomes in Ethiopia in recent years, the U.S. funding cuts have jeopardized pregnant women’s access to skilled birth attendants, essential facilities, and supplies for pre- and peri-natal care.
- A health worker in Tigray told PHR: “Last week, I visited an IDP center in Askum where about 6,600 IDPs currently reside…since the suspension of USAID support, [mobile health clinics] no longer exist…the coordinator of that IDP site said that eight people have lost their lives due to lack of access to health care, including a pregnant woman.”
- Abandonment of Sexual Violence Survivors: Overburdened facilities providing post-rape care to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence now face severe challenges. Survivors, who previously received free services, are now required to pay out-of-pocket. Essential transport assistance has ended and the delivery of medications and supplies has stopped. Medications and supplies are stuck in warehouses due to a lack of funding necessary for distribution.
- Exacerbated Malnutrition and Stunting: With nearly half of Ethiopian children stunted, U.S.-funded nutrition and food security interventions were critical. These programs, including food supplementation and growth monitoring, are now severely disrupted.
- A health worker in Ethiopia told PHR: “Even though there was an exemption, all of the organizations on the ground who are supposed to be distributing the food are not doing that job well, and they are not distributing because they do not have administration costs to support this.”
“The abrupt suspension of aid endangers global health and threatens millions of lives, including in Ethiopia. It undermines fundamental humanitarian principles and jeopardizes U.S.’s international and local interests. Its consequences are likely to be severe and long-lasting,” said Dr. Samuel Z. Kidane, a global health researcher with expertise on Ethiopia.
“From a halt in clinic reconstruction in Tigray to people dying for lack of basic care, the aid cut consequences are devastating,” said PHR’s McHale. “Yet without urgent action to reverse these cuts, this is just the beginning – the impacts will compound over time as more people lose access to critical medicines, services, and care. Millions of lives hang in the balance.”
The PHR brief also underscores the broader global ramifications of the aid cuts, including the weakening of global health security, increasing the risk of infectious disease emergence that could threaten people across borders. Additionally, the pausing of initiatives like the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program limits the ability to monitor health indicators and track the full impact of these cuts.
International human rights law recognizes States’ obligations to ensure individuals’ rights to have access to essential medicines, vaccines, and other health care to avoid preventable loss of life and health harm. While primary responsibility lies with national governments, wealthier countries like the United States are called upon to provide international assistance and cooperation to help realize these rights.
PHR makes the following recommendations:
- To the United States Government: Immediately restore and protect essential global health funding, including full PEPFAR reauthorization; ensure robust funding for health monitoring programs like DHS; and conduct comprehensive human rights and health impact assessments of the funding freeze.
- To the Ethiopian Government & Regional Bodies: Prioritize sustainable domestic funding for essential health services, especially for vulnerable populations, and develop a national strategy to address gaps.
- To Other Donor Governments: Urgently increase funding and multilateral coordination to fill critical gaps left by the U.S. retreat, ensuring a sustainable, rights-based global health approach.
- To the United Nations: Publicly recognize and address the severe human rights implications of this abrupt funding shortfall, promoting state adherence to health obligations and innovative solutions.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.
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