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| WHO Chief calls for "fairness" in global health policies |
| 2009-06-16 |
| Margaret Chan, the Executive Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), on Monday urged Member States to place "fairness" at the core of decisions to protect the most vulnerable against major worldwide crises. "Fairness, I believe, is at the heart of our ambitions in global health. A failure to put equality at the centre of health-care policy decisions is one reason why the world is in such a great big mess," Chan told senior government officials and international experts attending a Forum on Advancing Global Health convened by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Even the level of preparedness for and capacity to cope with the A-H1N1 influenza outbreak in recent months are strongly biased towards wealthy countries, Chan told the high-level meeting. "Global warming, hikes in fuel and food prices, the economic meltdown and now the A-H1N1 influenza pandemic hit hardest in developing countries," she added. She characterized globalization as a rising tide that lifts "the big boats, but swamps or sinks many smaller ones," adding that the financial crisis has "proved highly contagious and this contagion showed no mercy and made no exceptions on the basis of fair play". In his opening address to the Forum, Ban said "Health is the tie that binds all the Millennium Development Goals MDGs together," in reference to the globally agreed anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline. Eradicating poverty, illiteracy and the other challenges the MDGs seek to tackle will not be met without reaching the health targets, he said, adding "that is why global health is a top priority for me". |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #9 She's insane if she thinks countries won't save their own people before helping others. Especially when many of those other governments are unfriendly to the West or to their own people. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2009-06-16 12:16 |
| #8 The next person who whines about fairness in my presence is gonna be punched. Now days, Fairness = Communism |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2009-06-16 07:52 |
| #7 How about fairness in developing the capabilities in the first place, of committing the resources, in nurturing an environment that allows discovery unhampered by superstition and staying with the 'old ways', and the petty meddling of local potentates and bureaucrats more interested in their own power. Sure, when you get those straightened out in those parts of the world that could use modern health practices, come talk again. "Fairness starts at home" |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-06-16 07:45 |
| #6 Oops that was me not Gordo the incompetent. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2009-06-16 06:50 |
| #5 If it's "unfair" that people who are richer than others are less liekly to die and should be punished for it, then what's the point of being rich? Tell Margaret Chan that no-one will stop her volunteering to have the same treatment as say Somalia. |
| Posted by: Gordon Brown 2009-06-16 06:49 |
| #4 Harrison Bergeron. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-06-16 04:38 |
| #3 Medicine is about saving lives, not fairness. Life's not fair /whine whine whine STFU. Language warning |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2009-06-16 02:20 |
| #2 'Give us your money then get in line, Citizen. And start slouching. It's not fair to the dowager behind you if she has to see your strong broad back.' |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-06-16 01:47 |
| #1 I read 'fairness' as 'give us more money'. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2009-06-16 01:37 |