A broad reorganisation of the US department of health and human service ( HHS) resulted in thousands of people receiving termination notices on Tuesday.
The layoffs, expected to reduce 10, 000 positions, include researchers, scientists, doctors, and top officials—many of whom have played important roles in clinical studies, drug approvals, and common health monitoring.
At the National Institutes of Health ( NIH), where Dr Jay Bhattacharya assumed his role as director on the same day, several senior leaders were placed on administrative leave.
As per the media company Associated Press, at least four directors of NIH’s 27 schools and facilities were among those affected, and nearly the entire contacts teams were terminated. Some older people were apparently offered payments to distant places, such as Alaska, with only 48 hours to respond.
The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) also faced sweeping cuts. As per CNN, whole divisions were eliminated, including the company responsible for drafting new rules for electronic tobacco and other cigarette items.
Former FDA director Dr Robert Califf lamented the adjustments and was quoted by CNN saying,” The FDA as we’ve known it is finished, with most of the officials with institutional knowledge and a strong understanding of product development and security no longer employed”.
However, HHS director Robert F Kennedy Jr defended the cuts, saying they would simplify the firm and promote fighting severe illness over what he called “bureaucratic sprawl”. Announcing the alterations on social media, he declared,” The rebellion begins now”! He also revealed plans to consolidate some companies under the recently formed Administration for a Healthy America.
However, the reduces have drawn condemnation from public health authorities and politicians. Democratic Senator Patty Murray warned that the reform may have grave consequences. ” They may as well be renaming it the Department of Disease”, she told AP. The CDC, which has lost 2, 400 people, saw deep reductions in groups working on pneumonia, sexual health, air pollution, gun crime and climate change.
Beyond federal agencies, state and local health departments are also feeling the impact.
HHS recently withdrew over$ 11 billion in Covid-19-related funding, leading to additional job losses at the state level. Meanwhile, a coalition of state attorneys general has sued the Trump administration, arguing that the cuts are illegal and will exacerbate the opioid crisis and destabilize mental health services.
With nearly a quarter of HHS staff eliminated, experts fear that the loss of experienced professionals will leave the country vulnerable to public health threats. ” This will cost lives”, warned Dr Tom Frieden, a former CDC director.
