WHO: Health and Finance Ministers to address need for worldwide increase in health investment

Health and Finance Ministers to address need for worldwide increase in health 
investment 

29 October 2003 | GENEVA -- Ministers of Health, Finance and Planning from 40 
developing countries will come together with development partners at WHO 
headquarters from 29 to 30 October to address the need to significantly 
increase investments in health. This is the first time that the World Health 
Organization (WHO) has hosted a meeting so widely attended by non-health 
officials, underlining the urgency of building national capacity to absorb 
increased health funding.

“This meeting signifies real political commitment from the highest levels of 
government and donor representatives. Let us capitalize on this unique 
opportunity to recognize health as a critical investment and together develop 
a common understanding of how countries and their partners can transform 
these commitments into immediate actions. We must choose to make equitable 
and efficient health investments a reality,” said WHO Director-General Dr LEE 
Jong-wook.

This meeting comes nearly two years after the launch of the 2001 Report of 
the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (CMH), which recommends that by 
2007, donors should increase assistance for health to US$ 27 billion. The 
Commission also calls for more budgetary resources for public health from 
both developed and developing countries, and more political and 
organizational effort than has been seen in the past decades to achieve real 
improvements in health.

Two years on, the world still has not shown determination to increase 
investment in health to the levels needed to measurably impact major diseases 
that affect the world’s poor. A recent study* has shown that the total 
development assistance for health from major selected sources increased by 
US$ 1.6 billion, from an average of US$ 6.1 billion (1997-1999) to US$ 7.7 
billion (2001). Most of the increase in funding was allocated to fighting 
HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Although these recent increases in assistance 
for health are encouraging, they still fall short of meeting real needs.

“On taking office, I declared the target of ‘3 by 5’– to have 3 million 
people with AIDS in developing countries on treatment with antiretrovirals by 
the end of 2005. Only 300 000 are on treatment at the moment. To achieve ‘3 
by 5’ and other health priorities we need considerably more funds than those 
currently available. If we don’t increase resources for health and target 
these resources to activities that will have the greatest impact, we stand to 
lose millions of men, women and children to disease. This also means trapping 
individuals and families in poverty and disillusionment,” said Dr Lee.

During the meeting, the combined work of countries, WHO and partners will be 
to develop concrete plans for increased health investment in countries. 
Continued global leadership and follow-up from the development community, 
combined with inter-ministerial collaboration is needed: first, to increase 
resources for health from domestic resources, debt relief and development 
assistance for health, and second to eliminate health system and 
institutional constraints, enabling greater absorption of increased 
resources. This will be critical for pursuing country action to reach the ‘3 
by 5’ and other health targets.

“We need country-specific blueprints for making real increases in health 
investment. Developing countries and their partners need to collectively and 
quickly do much more, for health and global stability. This meeting can 
identify ways to make this happen,” added Dr Lee.

National Macroeconomics and Health activities are ongoing in the countries 
participating in the Consultation: From Africa: Angola, Botswana, Congo, 
Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South 
Africa, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania. From the Americas: Argentina, 
Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru and the Caribbean Community including Haiti. 
From the Eastern Mediterranean: Djibouti, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Jordan, 
Pakistan, Sudan, Yemen. From Europe: Azerbaijan and Estonia. From South East 
Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and 
Thailand. From the Western Pacific: Cambodia, China, Philippines and Viet 
Nam.

* Development Assistance for Health (DAH): Recent Trends and Resource 
Allocation Dr. Catherine Michaud, Senior Research Associate, Harvard Center 
for Population and Development Studies

For more information contact:


Agnès Leotsakos
Telephone: +41 (22) 791 2567 
Email: leotsakosa@who.int


Gregory Hartl
Telephone: +41 (22) 791 4458
Email: hartlg@who.int


SOURCE: World Health Organization, Geneva