Poverty-Related Diseases
There are daily 35,000 people dying on diseases such as AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and 17 other neglected tropical diseases as listed by the World Health Organization (WHO). On its own, Tuberculosis and Malaria cause the death of 3 million people every year. The reason for poverty-related and neglected diseases are amongst others the lack in access to newly and highly needed vaccines. Especially the poorest countries in the world are affected.
In our advocacy work, we campaign for increased and improved innovation for the advancement of combating poverty-related and neglected diseases . A ground-breaking and successful model is the so called Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) which unite successful the commitment of the public sector for global public health supplies with the expertise and the entrepreneurial mission of the private sector.
DSW Brussels: Making the Case for Comprehensive Health Systems
- Photo: JLogan, CC licence BY-SA 3.0
The European Union is a strong advocate for health in development. In 2010, EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, reconfirmed support for the ‘big three’ diseases by more than doubling the EU’s pledge towards the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. While a welcome recognition of the severity of these diseases, there remains a range of neglected diseases and tropical infections that continue to receive comparatively less funding and treatment support from donors, yet remain just as deadly.
Impoverished communities are at the greatest risk; and in sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of these neglected diseases can rival that of Malaria and Tuberculosis. Treatments are widely available in the developed world, but remain rarely accessible nor affordable in the Global South. Systemic weaknesses in supply chains, or poor attention to these issues in national health strategies, are key reasons why DSW works with international donors at country-level to advocate for stronger health policies.
Through advancing access to SRH services and information, DSW is also supporting the development of an effective health system that broadly supports maternal, child and adolescent health. Targeting and treating infections that compound the deadly effects of other diseases, and significantly improving infant and maternal mortality rates, is a strong measure of the effectiveness of health systems. Helping both the EU and national governments formulate development strategies that place a priority upon common health problems, contributes to more effective and inclusive health policies, programmes and budgets, and ultimately towards achieving the health-related MDGs.
