This morning, the Washington Examiner is reporting that a political promise by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is costing the people of Pakistan dearly.
Instead of repairing a hospital facility in need of renovation, Clinton promised a brand new hospital with a price tag for US taxpayers of $17 million. That hospital is now at risk of “falling into the same state of disrepair as the crumbling facility USAID declined to rehabilitate,” according to an inspector general report.
The Examiner story continues:
Under pressure “to fulfill a commitment that a senior Department of State official made in 2010,” USAID initially ignored the fact that the institute would one day depend on faulty infrastructure and would struggle to attract qualified staff due to its remote location, the inspector general’s report said. The document did not identify the senior official, but a USAID spokesman confirmed it was Clinton.
Watchdog groups worry “The institute may struggle to remain financially and operationally viable and may devolve into the same condition as the Jacobabad hospital,” which USAID called “horrific” in its 2011 report.