[Ip-health] DFID press release on International Health Partnership
Michelle Childs
michelle.childs@cptech.org
Wed Sep 5 06:09:11 2007
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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
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Donor partners are also agreeing to work towards providing longer-
term and more predictable funding to poor countries. This will mean
poor countries are better able to make long-term plans, knowing that
they will have the money to pay health workers=92 salaries, maintain
and build clinics and hospitals, and train new doctors and nurses
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/pressreleases/ihp.asp ( go to site
for embedded links)
Press Release
5 September 2007
Prime Minister launches new International Health Partnership
Global aid donors agree to work smarter together to save lives
Seven =91first wave=92 countries announced
Prime Minister Gordon Brown, International Development Secretary
Douglas Alexander, Ministers from developing countries and donor
countries, and leaders from all of the major health agencies and
foundations, are today launching a new international partnership that
will help save millions of lives by helping build national health
systems in some of the poorest countries in the world.
Seven =91first wave=92 countries in Africa and Asia will join the new
International Health Partnership which is supported by donor
governments and agencies. The partnership will be (external link)
launched formally at an event at 10 Downing Street, London, on
Wednesday afternoon.
Speaking today, the Prime Minister said:
"There is no greater cause than that every man, woman and child
in the world should be able to benefit from the best medicine and
healthcare. And our vision today is that we can triumph over ancient
scourges and for the first time in history conquer polio, TB, measles
and then with further advances and initiatives, go on to address
pneumococcal pneumonia, malaria and eventually HIV/ AIDS.
=93Today we come together - donor governments, health agencies and
developing countries - with the certainty that we have the knowledge
and the power to save millions of lives through our efforts."
Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development,
said:
=93Global aid for health has doubled since 2000 and much has been
achieved to fight disease and save lives. But to meet the MDGs, aid
is only a part of the solution.
=93The donor community needs to work together better and smarter
in order to deliver for the very countries we=92re trying to help,
whilst supporting poor countries=92 own priorities. This is not about
launching a health initiative but is about building health services.=94
* Listen to Douglas Alexander speaking about the
International Health PartnershipWindows Media Player(846 kb).
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The International Health Partnership (IHP) is part of a renewed
global push to meet the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) =96
cutting child deaths, improving maternal mortality and fighting major
diseases. It aims to make health aid work better for poor countries
by doing three things:
* focusing on improving health systems as a whole and not
just on individual diseases or issues;
* providing better coordination among donors;
* and developing and supporting countries=92 own health plans.
The challenges facing developing countries=92 health systems are
numerous and vary from access to medicines to the availability of
clinics, and the availability of trained health workers to
predictable health budgets. For example:
* health spending per person in some sub-Saharan African
countries is as low as =A35 - the external linkWorld Health
Organisation recommends =A317 and the UK average is =A31,400;
* there is only one health worker per 1,000 people in some
countries - the WHO recommends a minimum of 2.5 per 1,000 and the
European average is one per 100;
* over half of the population in the world=92s poorest
countries in Africa and Asia lack access to essential medicines.
The global donor community is making a positive difference in its
support of poor countries =96
* the use of Zambia=92s health services has increased by 40%
since being made cost-free in rural areas;
* the number of front-line health workers has doubled in
Ethiopia from 6,000 to 12,000 in two years;
* and in Burundi, the number of children receiving health
care has nearly doubled since becoming free for under-fives last year.
* See more health facts.
The International Health Partnership aims to address three of the
major issues that can influence the effectiveness of aid to poor
countries:
- first, global health assistance is over-complex, with multiple
health partnerships and international organisations - there are over
40 bilateral donors and 90 global health initiatives;
- secondly, not enough focus has been put upon building strong
sustainable health systems in poor countries. Impressive results have
been achieved in combating HIV and AIDS, TB and Malaria (MDG 6) but
other health issues, such as the health of children and women (MDGs 4
and 5) and support for building stronger health systems =96 such as
training doctors and nurses, building clinics or providing basic
health services =96 receive less attention. In Zambia, only about 10%
of all donor support for health goes directly to government for the
support of comprehensive health systems - the remaining 90% goes to
support disease-specific programmes.
- thirdly, poor countries sometimes find it costly and time
consuming to deal with so many partners - in Cambodia there are 22
different donors providing support for health through 109 separate
projects.
2007 marks the mid-point of the MDGs =96 promises made by the world=92s
richest countries to make poverty history by 2015. Gordon Brown set
out the global challenge in a external linkspeech to the United
Nations in New York on 31 July 2007.
Today, the World Health Organisation, (external link) World Bank,
(external link) UNAIDS, (external link) UNFPA, (external link)
UNICEF, t(he external link) GAVI Alliance, (the external link) Global
Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and (the external link) Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, plus the European Commission, the African
Development Bank, donor governments including Norway - represented by
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg - Germany, France, Italy, the
Netherlands and others are committing to work better together,
especially on the ground, and better support the health needs
identified by poor countries themselves.
Donor partners are also agreeing to work towards providing longer-
term and more predictable funding to poor countries. This will mean
poor countries are better able to make long-term plans, knowing that
they will have the money to pay health workers=92 salaries, maintain
and build clinics and hospitals, and train new doctors and nurses.
Better coordination brings proven results. For example, in Ethiopia,
an ambitious national programme to provide universal primary
healthcare has been backed by a number of donors. Over 17,000 new
salaried female Health Extension Workers, based in health posts close
to their communities, are now providing preventive services and basic
healthcare.
Ministers of Health from each of the seven =91first wave=92 countries -
from Africa: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Zambia and from
Asia: Cambodia and Nepal =96 are attending the launch. They have agreed
that they would benefit from closer donor and international partner
coordination as they work to improve their health services. They have
committed to increase public funding for healthcare and to ensure
that the poorest people have access to healthcare.
To support the effective implementation of the International Health
Partnership in the first wave partner countries, the UK will ensure
that the resources are available to provide technical support to
Ministries of Health and support stopgap solutions such as tackling
the health worker shortage and the supply of medicines.
A Compact is being signed by all partners of the International Health
Partnership at the launch today. The next step will be for individual
country agreements to be negotiated for the first wave partner
countries.
Her Majesty, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan; representatives of
major NGOs; and Trade Unions all back the new partnership and have
offered words of support.
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Notes for Editors
1. For more details on the Partnership, supporting documents,
materials and to read what our partners and supporters have said, see
the DFID website.
2. Copies of the Compact will be available after the event on the
DFID website.
For further information, contact Sarah Saxton on 020 7023 0944 or 020
7023 0600,
e-mail pressoffice@dfid.gov.uk or call our Public Enquiries Point on
0845 300 4100.
Michelle Childs
Head of European Affairs
Knowledge Ecology International
michelle.childs@cptech.org