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(14/06/10) Global Health - together we can make it happen
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About 300 participants from Ministries of Health, Development and Research in EU Member States, Candidate and Neighbourhood countries as well as partners from Africa, the Americas and Asia, from WHO and other UN organisations, the private sector - academia, industry, civil society, professional groups and other NGO's have gathered in Brussels on 10-11 June 2010. The conference aimed to present the European Commission Communication on Global Health and to discuss key challenges, goals, policy instruments and partnerships with stakeholders and global partners to see how the EU can most effectively engage with all actors to improve health at global level.
“Working with the world's poorest countries – for example through research partnerships - to improve access to new knowledge and to lifesaving treatments is a moral obligation and also in our own interests: communicable diseases, for example, do not stop at borders," said the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli.
International action
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While new innovations in science and medicine have certainly spurred medical advances and helped alleviate some of the world’s most deadly diseases, without making these innovations accessible and affordable they will not tap into the places they are needed most: developing countries.
The European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is a partnership between 14 EU countries and 47 African countries which seeks to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs in sub-Saharan Africa. The focus is on vaccines against the biggest killers on the continent which contribute to poverty, namely tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria. Because it is a partnership, it enables EU countries to integrate their research and development agendas and form close bonds with their African counterparts. It is currently partly financed by the EU’s 6th Framework Programme (FP6), but at the end of 2010 is anticipated to move to FP7.
The EU also supports action at the global level, where the WHO’s Global Strategy and Plan of Action for Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property aims to increase access to healthcare in the world’s poorest regions.
Health governance
Health aid is largely fragmented at the national level due to the multiple actors involved in the system. This is also due to the differing financial and implementing processes as well as the targeted nature of health services in different regions. However, the fragmented nature undermines the overall delivery of health services, as the 'trustees' of the system, the institutions who administer health, have reduced capacities and leadership.
The EU policy on Global health focuses on helping developing countries to strengthen their healthcare systems and providing specific action support. The EU Communication (March 2010) and EU Council conclusions (May 2010) set out how EU could effectively engage with international actors to improve health at global level.