Focus on international health

Our primary aim is to ensure a long-term improvement in international health by means of concrete project work and operational research. We are looking at health in a broad context including social, psychological, economic, and political determinants.

The social and economic status of developing countries suffers not only as a result of tropical diseases such as malaria – 14 million children also die every year from preventable conditions such as diarrhea and malnutrition.

One of the main problems is poorly developed healthcare systems, and this involves much more than just medicines. Often there is a lack of qualified personnel, suitable infrastructure or effective planning and management skills. If large-scale public health problems are to be tackled effectively, then all relevant actors of society have to engage – governments, international organizations, and the private sector.

In this context we aim to inspire development policy and practice with our own projects, which are tailored to meet the specific needs of the people and countries concerned and are planned and implemented in close collaboration with local partners.

One of the main themes of our work is ensuring improved access to healthcare. Our project portfolio reflects the core competencies of Novartis as a donor, including the leprosy and tuberculosis programs based on drug donations, but we also support initiatives such as those in the area of psychosocial well-being or community-based health insurance schemes with a view to tackling further international health challenges.