On this World AIDS Day, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a special adviser at the White House Office of Management and Budget, contributes an op-ed to The New York Times. Dr. Emanuel discusses the progress we’ve made using foreign aid in the fight against HIV/AIDS, along with urging the need for more attention and efforts dedicated to addressing neglected tropical diseases. Check out the excerpt below, or click here to read the full op-ed on The New York Times:

“Many Americans feel that foreign assistance is like money poured down a rathole. The United States contributes more money every year — spending nearly a third of all global health aid — while tangible results in developing countries can be hard to see.

But the “rathole” argument is dead wrong. Indeed, this World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, provides a perfect opportunity to assess the results of our global health assistance efforts and to recognize the tremendous amount we have accomplished.”