Eastern European public health: opportunity and challenge

Allied health professionals in the United States have a unique opportunity to help people living in countries of the former Eastern Bloc. The United States government has shown its willingness to help by including Czechoslovakia in the 1990 SEED (Support for East European Democracies) Act which gives financial support and favored treatment. The National Institutes of Health have allocated three million dollars a year for the past three years for projects in Eastern Europe. However, money and laws alone will not solve the ongoing problems in Eastern Europe. It will require people who appreciate what they have and care enough to make a difference in the world community. By educating, facilitating, and temporarily executing change, a health care tragedy can be turned around. It is an inherent violation of our oaths and ethical contracts if we turn our backs when so very little time and effort can make so great a difference.