Health and development

International Symposium
4 December 2001
Basel Switzerland

Background

Every year the 7 million people in Switzerland spend about 5 billion Swiss Francs on medicines – roughly the same amount that is spent by over a billion people in India. In Mozambique for example, the government spends less than 10 Swiss Francs per capita annually on health care. The corresponding figure in Switzerland is 6000 Swiss Francs.

The satisfaction of basic health needs is one of the most important development priorities. Poverty- related illnesses take an extremely heavy human toll: around 160 deaths for every victim of major natural disasters such as earthquakes or cyclones.

The extent to which poverty divides the world into first- and second-class citizens was recently made very apparent once again by the controversy surrounding the treatment of HIV/ AIDS in Africa.

What are the dimensions of the problem and what are the consequences when health care is inadequate or completely unavailable in poor regions? How do the poor themselves perceive the situation? To what extent are women affected? What political shortcomings – in the south as well as the north – contribute to the current situation? How can access to drugs be improved? What is the best mix of national policy, economic regulation, and industry activities? What is Novartis doing in this context?

These questions will be provocatively presented and discussed at the Symposium by experts from around the world. The Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development hopes that the Symposium will help shed light on an issue of great importance.