[afro-nets] A global health equity agenda for the G8 summit

[Claudio Schuftan <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

A global health equity agenda for the G8 summit
-----------------------------------------------

From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC)

A global health equity agenda for the G8 summit

By Ronald Labonte, Canada research chair1, Ted Schrecker, senior
policy researcher1, Amit Sen Gupta, co-convenor2

1 Globalisation and Health Equity Research Program, Institute of
Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
2 People's Health Movement-India, New Delhi, India

BMJ 2005;330:533-536 (5 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7490.533
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/330/7490/533?etoc

"...Substantial reversals of the global trend in improvements in
health of the past 150 years are now evident in large parts of
the developing world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In ad-
dition to its intrinsic value as a human right, health is an im-
portant contributor to economic development. This creates a com-
pelling case for investing in health, especially since several
cost effective interventions are available that can produce
rapid and broadly shared improvements in health..."

[hmmm.....Claudio]

Summary points

- Health is a human right and an essential investment for eco-
nomic development
- Interventions to reverse declining health in developing coun-
tries are readily available and affordable.
- G7 cancellation of African debt and doubling of development
aid is essential
- Support for fairer trade rules that strengthen special and
differential treatment for African nations is also needed
- The cost to G7 countries of these policy reforms is trivial

Related links:

The G8, Africa and Global Health: A Platform for Global Health
Equity for the 2005 Summit; Draft Working Paper: November 15,
2004
http://www.iph.uottawa.ca/English/Platform%20November%2015%202004.htm

This article is based on the Nuffield Trust report, The G8, Af-
rica and global health: a platform for global health equity for
the 2005 summit, which was launched on 28 February 2005
(http://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/globalhealth/index.php).