CNN Philippines’ Rico Hizon interviewed URC President Earl Gast on the “The Final Word” program on Jan. 27.
The interview covered several subjects, including the impact of three USAID-funded projects that URC leads in the Philippines: USAID TB Platforms, USAID RenewHealth, and USAID BARMMHealth.
Gast addressed how these URC-led programs, respectively, are tackling the TB epidemic, supporting community-based drug rehabilitation, and improving access to maternal and child health services.
For example, Gast said, TB Platforms is using portable X-ray machines donated by Fujifilm to provide quick, accurate TB test results – even outside of hospitals and health centers.
Gast also spoke about his role as a board member of the US-Philippines Society and his experience working for USAID as a foreign service officer in the Philippines in the 1990s.