[stop-imf] WBank health policies endangering millions - Save the Children, others

[Robert Weissman]

Text of report at:
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/scuk/jsp/resources/details.jsp?id=3D1518&=
group=3Dresources&section=3Dnews&subsection=3Ddetails&pagelang=3Den

- or -

go to www.savethechildren.org.uk and click on "80 million lives at risk"

>From UN Wire.org:

Aid Groups Say World Bank Policies Could Harm 80 Million
Thursday, September 18, 2003

A coalition of aid agencies say that more than 80 million mothers and
children will die unnecessarily over the next dozen years unless
misguided World Bank
policies are changed and more money is made available in step with the
Millennium Development Goals, Reuters reports today.

A report from the aid coalition Grow Up Free, which includes Save the
Children, Tearfund, EveryChild, HelpAge International and the Catholic aid
agency CAFOD, said the World Bank's flawed health policies and a lack of
financial commitment by national governments effectively scuttled
chances of meeting
the goals.

"Over the next 12 years, more than 80 million children and mothers will
die if we fail to meet these goals.  The Grow Up coalition challenges
all those with the
responsibility and power to prevent these unnecessary deaths," said the
head of public policy at CAFOD, George Gelber.

The coalition pointed to expected death tolls from preventable diseases
such as diarrhea and pneumonia, saying the number of anticipated deaths
equaled the
combined populations of Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Sudan.

The report says the World Bank's health development model, "Investing in
Health," diverts scarce funds from broad-based primary health care to
narrower projects
focused on cost savings, with responsibility moved to the private sector.

The group urged the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to
focus on the issue during next week's annual meetings in Dubai.

"We stress that while we cannot make progress without more resources, at
the same time we need a careful analysis of why policies have failed in
the past and how
we must implement new policies," Gelber said (Jeremy Lovell, Reuters,
Sept. 18).



------

80 million lives at risk

   date published: 18/09/2003

   A new report out today shows that unless radical improvements in
global healthcare are made in the next
   12 years, an estimated 80 million children and mothers will die
unnecessarily*. 80 million lives: Meeting
   the Millennium Development Goals in child and maternal survival, from
the Grow Up Free from Poverty
   coalition, reveals that if child mortality rates continue at the same
pace, the lives of millions of children
   will be lost every year from preventable illnesses like diarrhoea and
pneumonia.

   The report, to be launched at HM Treasury in the presence of the
Secretary of State for International
   Development, Baroness Amos, and John Healey, Economic Secretary from
HM Treasury, investigates
   progress towards meeting two of the Millennium Development Goals to
reduce child mortality by
   two-thirds and maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015.

   Worryingly it finds that, instead of meeting these targets, in many
countries the decline in child and
   maternal mortality rates has actually stagnated or reversed, with
some African countries needing another
   150 years to achieve the goals at present rates.

   The coalition, which includes Cafod, Tearfund and Save the Children,
is calling on governments, policy makers and donors worldwide to take
urgent steps
   to meet the international targets as they have promised. It is
unacceptable that illnesses such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria
remain the biggest
   killers in developing countries. With the right resources and
policies most of these diseases are preventable, as we have seen in
industrialised countries.

   George Gelber, Chair of the Grow Up Coalition and Cafod=92s Head of
Public Policy said:

   "It is unacceptable that children continue to die from diseases that
can so easily be prevented. Over the next 12 years, more than 80 million
children and
   mothers will die [if we fail to meet these targets] - that=92s roughly
the equivalent of the population of the United Kingdom and New York
combined**. The
   Grow Up coalition challenges all those with the responsibility and
power to prevent these 80 million unnecessary deaths.

   "We support Gordon Brown=92s call for doubling aid to tackle poverty
with the International Finance Facility (IFF). But we stress that while
we cannot make
   progress without more resources, at the same time we need a careful
analysis of why policies have failed in the past, and how we must
implement new
   policies to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and healthcare
for all."

   As world leaders prepare to gather next week for World Bank and IMF
meetings, experts from the World Health Organisation, the World Bank,
DFID and
   civil society will be debating these issues and solutions at the
launch event as part of the global dialogue towards meeting the
Millennium Development
   Goals.

   The report argues that failures in healthcare to date are the result
not only of a lack of political will, but also of the imposition of
healthcare policies that
   ignore the poor, and disadvantage women and children. It calls for a
move towards a social model of healthcare, which is provided on the
basis of need and
   equity for the poor of all ages. It also calls for developed
countries to halt their recruitment drives of skilled health
professionals from the developing world.

   Co-author of the report, Regina Keith, Health Advisor for Save the
Children said:

   "Most children in the developing world are suffering from illnesses
that also affect children here in the UK. The difference is that in the
developing world,
   many of these children will die. While the responsibility for
reducing the rate of child mortality should be shared globally, making
it a reality must be based
   on locally determined priorities and not a =91one-size fits all=92
distribution of resources."

   One of the speakers at the launch will be the Rev. Agnes Mukandoli,
Mothers Union Representative from Rwanda, who said:

   "When a woman becomes pregnant she should be able to be happy and
look forward to a new life coming into the world. But in my country, as
in many
   others, the time of birth is associated with fear because so many
mothers and babies die there from things that could be prevented. Their
lives are not lost to
   complicated diseases - better basic healthcare, clean water and
sanitation would make a big difference. It seems that no one notices
women and children
   dying. Are we invisible? It feels that way to us. Every minute
another woman dies for no good reason. Half a million each year. We look
to the powerful
   countries and people to stop this waste of life."

   Background

   In the UK, the Grow Up Free From Poverty coalition is a group of UK
NGOs and faith groups: Action Aid, Bretton Woods Project, British
Council Connect
   Youth International, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Christian Socialist
Movement, Consortium for Street Children, Help Age International, Help
the Aged,
   EveryChild, Justice, Art & Education, Methodist Church, Mothers=92
Union, National Council of Hindu Temples, Plan International, Save the
Children UK,
   SCIAF, Tearfund, United Reformed Church, Viva Network, World Vision.

   *In 1990, at least 10.5 million children died every year at a rate of
93/1000. In 2001, 10 million children died at a rate of 81/1000. The MDG
goal is a rate of
   31/1000 that will mean 4.5 million children will die in 2015
(allowing for population increase). However, if the current rate of
child mortality persists for the
   next 12 years, an estimated additional 80 million lives will be lost.

   80 Million Lives is concerned about the Child and Maternal Health
Millennium Development Goals. (MDG 4 to reduce the 1990 under-five
mortality rate
   by two-thirds by 2015 and MDG 5 is to reduce the 1990 maternal
morality rate by three-quarters by 2015). The report is informed by the
work and
   experience of the coalition members and their partners throughout the
world.

   **The UK population is just under 60 million and the population of
New York is 19 million. 80 million lives is also the equivalent to the
combined population
   of Kenya (30m), Malawi (11m), Zambia (10m) and Sudan (31m), or the
combined population of the UK (60m), Denmark (5m), Ireland (4m), Norway (4m=
),
   Finland (5m) and Latvia (2.2m).




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