[Ip-health] Bitter medicine

[david@davidhammerstein.org]

"Getting to know you", Haiti and bitter medicine for the poor

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 At=A0 a crucial moment of this week=B4s meeting at the WHO,=
 in the
midst of a heated debate between the South and rich countries on
access to medicine,=A0 Director General Margaret Chan decided to open up
a three hour discussion on the Haitian relief measures. The EU, the Us
and other wealthy countries had spent the whole previous afternoon on
the defensive a and employed=A0 extremely obstructive tactics while
facing the insistent demands of affordable drugs and greater R and D
investments on the part of countries like Brazil, Bolivia and India.=A0

=A0 =A0 With the consideration of the Haiti disaster all the rich
countries during a long interlude during the polarized debate there
was a sudden change of mood in the assembly. The EU countries now
relaxed and felt good about themselves. One after another there were
self-congratulatory statements by European and other northern
countries about their expenditures and other quantified actions to
respond to the Haiti disaster.=A0 In stark contrast to the cold
indifference to the debate on affordable medicine for the poor now
all=A0 the industrialised country delegations were warm-hearted,
generous and concerned about the fate of the poor and helpless in
Haiti. Many of the poorer countries who could only make very modest
relief contributions just looked on while the wealthy countries
exercised a public session of=A0 all roundself-esteem and goodness
bonding.=A0 Totally gone was the tense uncomfortable ambience that
permeated many EU member delegations the day before when they turned
their backs on fundamental proposals to share globally essential
medical knowledge and products. In the middle of the consideration of
the infernal Haiti situation and in the context of the need to know
the situation on the ground, WHO Director General Margaret Chan
started to cheerfully sing the Oscar and Hammerstein song: "Getting to
know you..."=A0 in front of an elated international audience.=A0

To say it was surreal would be an understatement. What a welcome for
me to the WHO!

=A0 No doubt it is much easier for many countries to treat basic health
care=A0 as a question of charity and emergency relief than=A0 to consider
it as a basic human right that demands structural changes in the way
we manage, own and develop medical knowledge.=A0 Nothing much to sing
about.

David Hammerstein, TACD

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