Global Health Forum

Rome
12 February 2009

This event was part of the broader Aspen for the G-8 project, dedicated to Italy’s presidency of the G-8. The project aims to contribute to the formulation of guidelines for G-8 action characterized by coordinated efforts between the public and private sectors.

The participants took the opportunity to raise all the global health-related problems that governments of developed and developing countries, international organizations, NGOs and all stakeholders must deal with and attempt to resolve. Global health was recognized by many of the participants as a priority, not just in terms of fairness and social justice so as to avoid further widening the global North-South divide, but also from the point of view of the security of the entire planet. Indeed, as some participants noted, one of the effects of globalization is also the “globalization” of major diseases which Western nations had – apparently – eradicated or at least contained. These include malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS and avian flu, though the list could be extended. The Forum clearly acknowledged that the economic crisis we are undergoing has jeopardized efforts of stakeholders to the reach the goals previously established by the Paris, Accra and Doha accords and by the Millennium Development Goals. There was a widely-held view that the financial crisis risks not only increasing the gap between rich and poor nations but also between wealthy and needy social groups within many countries.

The priorities that emerged from the debate particularly concerned the need for coordinated action which combines the fight against major pandemics with measures aimed at strengthening health systems. Nor, it was felt, should the shortage of health-sector professionals (such as doctors and nurses) and the importance of reducing childbirth, neonatal and infant mortality rates be forgotten.

A more balanced approach is needed which tackles the problem by dealing with various aspects such as poverty, hunger, education and gender equality, climate change, water and hygiene measures. At the same time, individual countries need to guarantee universal access to health services.

Several rather interesting ideas emerged from the discussions regarding innovation and research in the health sector and the need to transfer as much technology as possible to developing countries in order to increase the efficiency of the use of already available resources, particularly in the area of research for new medicines and vaccines. An instrument currently used, which undoubtedly provides a resource for the future, is the Advance Market Commitment, a financial commitment by industrialized nations aimed at paying for the future acquisition of vaccines that are not as yet available. The participants noted the importance of reinforcing and increasing such collaborative efforts between the public and private sectors and making the business world aware of the fundamental role it can play at a global and local level. To date, collaboration between the public and private spheres has contributed to the achievement of goals established at a global level but much can still be done, perhaps in line with the philosophy that competition and solidarity can produce positive effects in this sector. Civil society can also play a very significant role in raising awareness of health needs in poor countries and contributing to the formulation of development policies.

In order to meet all these “global” health-sector needs, it is necessary to come up with forms of special funding through concrete, timely and verifiable proposals. As this is a time of crisis, the financing of development aid funds has been reduced and it is thus even more imperative to turn to alternative measures in addition to relying on official mechanisms. There are other options and some of them are already being used, such as the tax on air flights, a method adopted and implemented by 27 countries. With a tax of one dollar, over 600 million dollars have been collected in the past two years. However, this is not enough. A proposal to offer airline passengers the opportunity of making a voluntary donation of a few dollars in addition to the cost of their ticket is currently being considered. This contribution would go towards funding world health programs.

Public development aid and private organizations are sources of funding which are no longer sufficient alone. It is necessary to raise additional results-oriented funding, through which it could be possible to repeat the previously accomplished miracle of tripling the number of children with AIDS that receive adequate treatment.

The hope that emerged at the conclusion of the Forum is that the G-8 leaders will continue to consider global health as one of the priorities on their agenda and that they will support and promote long-term funding mechanisms that enable the need for new medicines, new vaccines and new diagnostic techniques to be met.

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