Hard talk on association between public health advocates and pharmaceutical companies
Is it ethical for public health advocates to accept funding from pharmaceutical companies, or organizations directly/ indirectly affiliated to them? Should all direct/indirect engagement with Pharmaceutical companies should be declared openly and publicly? The delegates at the 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Cancun, Mexico, responded differently to this contentious issue.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and many other indexed publications ask people to sign a declaration form to declare any association with tobacco companies. The Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC, the global tobacco treaty) give teeth to the treaty which states, "in setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, Parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law." The WHO FCTC Article 5.3 guidelines include the following recommendations, rooted in the principle that the tobacco industry has a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict with public health:
- governments should reject partnerships with the tobacco industry;
- conflicts of interest such as the "revolving door" between the tobacco industry and public health offices, government investments in the tobacco industry and tobacco industry representation on tobacco control bodies should be avoided;
- government interaction with the tobacco industry should be strictly limited and transparent;
- the tobacco industry should be required to be transparent about its activities, a measure which will help to counter interference by Big Tobacco's front groups and allied organizations.
Similar examples exist where people need to declare their association openly with formula food companies for instance. So is it ethical for public health advocates to take funding from pharmaceutical companies? Should it be declared openly?
When asked to respond to this question, Professor Hoosen Coovadia, noted paediatrician and expert in perinatal HIV transmission, former Head of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Natal until 2000 and Victor Daitz Professor for HIV/AIDS research at the University of Natal, South Africa, said "unfortunately there is no simple yes or no answer to this. I guess in many instances that association [between pharmaceutical companies and public health advocates] has to be acknowledged and expressed fully. For example many of the good journals will not accept an article unless that association with food company, pharmaceutical company, depends what the company is, is openly acknowledged."
"People do believe in taking pharmaceutical companies' support in undertaking [clinical/ research] trials. It happens in National Institute of Health and many other institutions or these [public health] products will simply not have been tested. You can imagine a world where new drugs for TB and HIV are not available or not acceptable because those [clinical trials/ research] studies were not done" adds Professor Coovadia.
"There are some extreme examples on refusal to accept money [from companies]. One instance is taking money from tobacco companies because of their egregious behaviour of denying the damaging effects of tobacco. I am a paediatrician and we have been through decades of fighting formula food producing companies for the damage they do in developing world and probably in other parts of the world too in promoting their products in absence of support for exclusive breastfeeding for first six months. I think in those two instances public health advocates will take the position that any association with food company or tobacco company is inherently unacceptable" asserts Professor Coovadia.
"Any such association [between pharmaceutical companies and public health advocates] has to be declared openly. One of the examples is of one of the best drugs that we initially started off with to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV. It is a drug called nevirapine and we had the support from the manufacturers of nevirapine to do those studies. Now that is openly acknowledged, publications mention their association clearly, mention the role of drug company, and say in absolutely unambiguous terms that those companies have no influence on whatsoever in collection of the data, certainly not in the analysis of the data, or in the conclusions. In other words the scientific content of the paper or the article or the document was uninfluenced by that type of association. I think association with pharmaceutical companies can continue as long as those restrictions are adhered to" further adds Professor Coovadia.
"Pharmaceutical companies have enormous amounts of money that should be spent on research and development. It should be made mandatory for pharmaceutical companies to earmark funding for research and development, particularly in high burden countries" says Dr Darakshan Badar, Programme Manager, Provincial TB Control Programme (PTP), Punjab, Pakistan.
However, Dr Badar's colleague at the National TB Control Programme (NTP) in Pakistan, Dr Ejaz Qadeer, has a different opinion: "Public health advocates should not take money from pharmaceutical companies. There is an obvious conflict of interest and taking money from pharmaceutical company is risky for the [TB/ health] programme and also for the government. All association with pharmaceutical company of public health advocates should be open and [information regarding interaction should be] accessible to the public and other stakeholders to see what interaction is taking place between public health advocates and pharmaceutical companies."
"In Bangladesh, taking funds from pharmaceutical companies for TB is not common. Pharmaceutical companies are not willing to fund TB programmes because TB drugs are not available over-the-counter and given free to TB patients through DOTS" says Dr Zaman from Bangladesh.
"We can accept money from pharmaceutical companies to help TB patients but this should be open and publicly declared" says Dr Jean Pierre Kabuayi Nyengele, Deputy Manager, National TB Control Programme (NTP), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
"The association between pharmaceutical companies and public health advocates should be openly declared" says Dr Peter Kimuu, TBCAP, Kenya.
"I don't think it is unethical to accept money from pharmaceutical companies. [However] the pharmaceutical companies shouldn't do unethical actions like promoting drugs or irrational use of drugs [after giving money]. It [association between pharmaceutical companies and public health advocates] should be declared openly and publicly, just like [we treat] tobacco companies" said Dr D Behera, Director, LRS Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, New Delhi, India. Dr Behera was also awarded the Union Karel Styblo Public Health Award for this year 2009 at the 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health.
"For public health advocates, it is not ethically right to take money from pharmaceutical companies. All association between public health advocates and pharmaceutical companies should be open, and the agenda should be made public too" says Dr Razia Kaniz Fatima, M&E (Monitoring and Evaluation) ACSM Officer, NTP, Pakistan.
Well, there might be extreme difference of opinion on how ethical it is to engage with pharmaceutical companies and taking funding from them, but there is clear support to making this association open and public. Dr Coovadia's example of how manufacturers of nevirapine funded the research but had no control on scientific outcomes is worth remembering. The debate is certainly on, and more viewpoints and perspectives on this contentious issue be coming forth.
Published in:
Citizen News Service (CNS), India/Thailand
Modern Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Scoop.com, New Zealand
Media for Freedom, Nepal
Pakistan Christian Post, Pakistan
Banderas News, Mexico
Media For Freedom, Nepal
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Showing posts with label recession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recession. Show all posts
Critical reforms of IMF policies demanded
Critical reforms of IMF policies demanded
[To read this article in Hindi language, click here]
Earlier this month the Group of Twenty (G-20) leaders had announced a USD 1.1 trillion booster-dose into the world economy by the end of 2010 through multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Health advocates believe that critical reforms are needed for IMF policies to prevent disastrous fallouts like rising tuberculosis (TB) incidence in countries that might receive IMF funding.
In July 2008, analysts from Cambridge and Yale Universities had reported that tuberculosis (TB) in countries with IMF loans rose sharply. The strict conditions on IMF loans were blamed for thousands of extra TB deaths in Eastern Europe, and former Soviet republics. A UK TB charity backed the Public Library of Science (PLoS) study findings - but the IMF had firmly rejected them, as per a BBC news (July 2008).
David Stuckler from Cambridge University had said to BBC in July 2008 that "If we really want to create sustainable economic growth, we need first to ensure that we have taken care of people's most basic health needs."
The BBC news further said that "in recent years, it [IMF] has offered assistance to 21 countries in the region, in the form of loans offered in exchange for the meeting of strict economic targets. The researchers claimed it was efforts to meet these targets that were undermining the fight against TB by drawing funding away from public health."
Most striking was the analysis in BBC news that "without the IMF loans, they suggested, rates would have fallen by up to 10%, meaning at least 100,000 extra deaths. Countries which accepted IMF loans averaged an 8% fall in government spending, a 7% drop in the number of doctors per head of population, and a fall in a method of TB treatment called "directly observed therapy", which is recommended by the World Health Organisation."
The Treatment Action Group (TAG) is mobilizing civil society from around the world to endorse a letter before 23 April 2009 to demand that the final proposals must include critical reforms of IMF policies that will enable increased investments in health and education.
As an outcome of the G-20 meeting in London on 2 April 2009, the Declaration called on the IMF to come up with "concrete proposals" for the allocation of these additional resources during the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF planned for 25-26 April 2009 in Washington DC, USA.
The civil society letter calls upon the IMF's International Monetary and Financial Committee and the World Bank-IMF Development Committee as well as any IMF committee tasked with developing proposals to fulfill on the G-20 commitment, to ensure the following reforms are incorporated in the final proposal:
- The IMF must phase out those activities outside its areas of core competence such as those of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). The IMF does not have a mandate for, or competence in, the long-term development of low-income countries. IMF resources channeled through the PRGF and from the proceeds of gold sales should support grant assistance or debt relief and be directed to an appropriate aid mechanism. The IMF's Policy Support Instrument (PSI) should also be phased out, in order to end the IMF's monopoly on 'signaling' to donors whether or not developing countries warrant support.
- The IMF must eliminate harmful conditions linked with its loan programs and other instruments. The IMF should end its tradition of requiring countries to implement contractionary policies in economic recessions. For instance, the IMF should ensure that expanded investment in health and education are not subjected to overall budget caps and that subsidies that cushion the impact of the crisis on poor people are not eliminated. The IMF has made progress toward eliminating wage bill ceilings as conditions for lending, but it should stop this practice entirely. In addition, the IMF should stop directing countries to engage in privatization of services or financial sector liberalization through its loans and other instruments.
Organizations from around the world are endorsing this civil society letter and let's hope that IMF will listen to these sane voices.
Will IMF deliver G-20's booster for world economy?
Will IMF deliver G-20's booster for world economy?
Earlier this week the Group of Twenty leaders announced a USD 1.1 trillion booster-dose into the world economy by the end of 2010 through multilateral institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, in July 2008, analysts from Cambridge and Yale Universities had reported that tuberculosis (TB) in countries with IMF loans rose sharply.
The strict conditions on IMF loans were blamed for thousands of extra TB deaths in Eastern Europe, and former Soviet republics. A UK TB charity backed the Public Library of Science (PLoS) study findings - but the IMF had firmly rejected them, as per a BBC news (July 2008).
David Stuckler from Cambridge University had said to BBC in July 2008 that "If we really want to create sustainable economic growth, we need first to ensure that we have taken care of people's most basic health needs."
Most alarming was when the levels of drug-resistant TB shot up in eastern Europe and former soviet union.
The BBC news further said that "in recent years, it [IMF] has offered assistance to 21 countries in the region, in the form of loans offered in exchange for the meeting of strict economic targets. The researchers claimed it was efforts to meet these targets that were undermining the fight against TB by drawing funding away from public health."
Most striking was the analysis in BBC news that "without the IMF loans, they suggested, rates would have fallen by up to 10%, meaning at least 100,000 extra deaths. Countries which accepted IMF loans averaged an 8% fall in government spending, a 7% drop in the number of doctors per head of population, and a fall in a method of TB treatment called "directly observed therapy", which is recommended by the World Health Organisation."
It is not surprising that healthcare doesn’t get the mandate at forums like G-20 in the manner in which it should. Before the G-20 began, there was a growing public movement globally to put pressure on G-20 countries to put a currency transaction levy of 0.005% to raise dedicated resources for funding health programmes. This currency transaction levy of 0.005% can potentially generate USD 30-40 billion a year.
It is vital to understand the health funding in these times of global economic meltdown. The single largest donor of AIDS, TB and Malaria programmes globally - the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) has just 37.5% of its estimated budget for 2009-2010. The donor countries haven’t kept their promises to fund the 'Fund'. The GFATM projected budget for 2009-2010 was USD 8 billion and it just has USD 3 billion in its kitty, falling short of USD 5 billion.
The donor countries that haven’t kept their promises include the United States of America that is also the biggest defaulter. It is not that US doesn’t have money, it gave about the same amount it owed to GFATM to Merrill Lynch as bail out money. It gave hundreds of times more to other private banks as bail out money. The banks distributed this amount amongst themselves as 'holiday bonuses'.
Another example comes from one of the most severely TB-HIV hard-hit regions - Africa. Despite of African governments declaring TB as an emergency, Africa as a region, faces the largest funding gap of USD 10.7 billion to fully implement the Global Plan to Stop TB by 2015.
The countries in Africa had achieved a milestone by endorsing the African Union Abuja pledge of allocating 15% of national budgets to health but they have bitterly failed to act on this pledge. Only Botswana has kept the promise of allocating 15% of the national budget to health, the rest of the countries in Africa need to keep their promises.
As per a report of the World Bank and Stop TB Partnership (December 2007), high-burden TB countries are likely to recover 9-15 times of their investment in TB control. This report indicates that the economic cost of not treating TB to Africa between 2006 and 2015 would be USD 519 billion while TB can be controlled with USD 20 billion in the same period.
It is clear that despite evidence, health is not perceived as a smart investment. Possibly imposing currency transaction levy of 0.005% can generate a pool of dedicated financial resources to strengthen health systems globally.
It is high time to be clear on what kind of a development we want for the world - a model which serves the capital interests of corporations or a model which serves the most basic needs for all, including that of healthcare?
One good analysis which further highlights this debate is from India. The Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh gave indications of his shaking confidence in neo-liberal economic policies of liberalization- privatization-globalization in India in two meetings of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). "He suggested that CEOs must consider placing voluntary ceilings on their salaries. He said that the gap between the rich and poor would produce social unrest. He said that for an unemployed youth a 9% growth rate didn’t mean anything. He added that CEOs must not treat their wealth for personal consumption only but should consider using it for general good of society. He invoked the much forgotten ‘trusteeship principle’ of Mahatma Gandhi, which probably no politician in independent India has ever mentioned. Now, these thoughts would make a very sound policy if the objective was to create a humane and equitable society instead of elevating the growth rate" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and a National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) leader.
Are G-20 leaders listening?
- Bobby Ramakant
If G-20 agrees, health financing might come from Currency transaction levy
If G-20 agrees, health financing might come from Currency transaction levy
There is a growing public movement globally to put pressure on the Group of Twenty (G-20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors that will meet in London, UK, on 2 April 2009, to put a currency transaction levy of 0.005% to raise dedicated resources for funding health programmes. This currency transaction levy of 0.005% can potentially generate USD 30-40 billion a year.
There is a growing public movement globally to put pressure on the Group of Twenty (G-20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors that will meet in London, UK, on 2 April 2009, to put a currency transaction levy of 0.005% to raise dedicated resources for funding health programmes. This currency transaction levy of 0.005% can potentially generate USD 30-40 billion a year.
It is vital to understand the health funding in these times of global economic meltdown. The single largest donor of AIDS, TB and Malaria programmes globally - the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) has just 37.5% of its estimated budget for 2009-2010. The donor countries haven’t kept their promises to fund the 'Fund'. The GFATM projected budget for 2009-2010 was USD 8 billion and it just has USD 3 billion in its kitty, falling short of USD 5 billion.
The donor countries that haven’t kept their promises include the United States of America that is also the biggest defaulter. It is not that US doesn’t have money, it gave about the same amount it owed to GFATM to Merrill Lynch as bail out money. It gave hundreds of times more to other private banks as bail out money. This was tax payers money of the people - which was handed over to the banks. The banks distributed this amount amongst themselves as 'holiday bonuses'. Outrageous? May be, but possibly the health advocates didn’t do a good job of convincing the policy makers that health investment is a smart investment, with promising returns.
Despite of African governments declaring tuberculosis (TB) as an emergency, Africa as a region, faces the largest funding gap of USD 10.7 billion to fully implement the Global Plan to Stop TB by 2015. This fact came in spotlight when the TB funding in Africa required to meet the TB-related targets of millennium development goals (MDG) by 2015 was analyzed, said Kenyan activist Lucy Chesire.
The countries in Africa had achieved a milestone by endorsing the African Union Abuja pledge of allocating 15% of national budgets to health, which was also reiterated at the 2008 African Union Summit in Egypt, the 2008 Conference of African Finance Ministers, and 2008 Special Conference of African Health Ministers. But they have bitterly failed to act on this pledge, said the activists. Only Botswana has kept the promise of allocating 15% of the national budget to health, the rest of the countries in Africa need to keep their promises.
"The current global economic crisis is all the more reason why high burden TB countries in Africa should invest in TB control. As per a report of World Bank and Stop TB Partnership (December 2007), high-burden TB countries are likely to recover 9-15 times of their investment in TB control" said Mayowa Joel of Nigeria. This report indicates that the economic cost of not treating TB to Africa between 2006 and 2015 would be USD 519 billion while TB can be controlled with USD 20 billion in the same period.
It is clear that health is not considered as a smart investment. Possibly imposing currency transaction levy of 0.005% can generate a pool of dedicated financial resources to strengthen health systems globally.
Trading volume in the foreign exchange (FX) market has now topped USD 1000 trillion a year. In this financial crisis, unlike most other areas of the finance industry, the FX market is still growing. This provides a very solid base from which the currency transaction levy can produce a sustainable and substantial income stream. As well, the market is fully electronic. Collection would be computerised with payment automatic every time a currency trade is settled. Thus it is efficient and inexpensive to implement with little scope for avoidance.
The proposed rate of 0.005% is too small to alter decision making in the FX market and yet high enough to yield a sizeable revenue stream. In recent work for the UN University, Professor Rodney Schmidt undertook the most detailed econometric modeling to date, showing this rate is too low to affect market structure whilst at the same time producing potential revenue of the order of USD 30-40 billion a year.
There are mechanisms like the currency transaction levy that have proven to work. Like the UNITAID. In 2006, France, Brazil, Chile, Norway and the United Kingdom decided to create an international drug purchase facility called UNITAID to be financed with sustainable, predictable resources. As an economically neutral tool the tax on air tickets was considered as the most suitable instrument. This mechanism seeks to fill a critical gap in the global health financing scenario: the need for sustained strategic market intervention to drive price reduction and increases in supply.
Potentially the currency transaction levy can radically change the global health financing landscape and bring in more sustainability but the world - for now the G-20 countries - need to be covninced why health financing is a smart investment.
- Bobby Ramakant
Call in Africa to fund the gap in the fight against TB
Call in Africa to fund the gap in the fight against TB
Despite of African governments declaring tuberculosis (TB) as an emergency, Africa as a region, faces the largest funding gap of USD 10.7 billion to fully implement the Global Plan to Stop TB by 2015. This fact came in spotlight when the TB funding in Africa required to meet the TB-related targets of millennium development goals (MDG) by 2015 was analyzed, said Kenyan activist Lucy Chesire at the 3rd Stop TB Partners' Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (23-25 March 2009).
"The Ministers of health had recognized that TB is an emergency, but they don't act to mobilize resources to respond urgently to control TB and fully implement the Global Plan to Stop TB" stressed Lucy.
"The current global economic crisis is all the more reason why high burden TB countries in Africa should invest in TB control. As per a report of World Bank and Stop TB Partnership (December 2007), high-burden TB countries are likely to recover 9-15 times of their investment in TB control" said Mayowa Joel of Nigeria. This report indicates that the economic cost of not treating TB to Africa between 2006 and 2015 would be USD 519 billion while TB can be controlled with USD 20 billion in the same period.
Even though Africa makes up only 11.7% of the global population, Africa alone contributes 27 of the 50 countries globally with the highest numbers of people living with TB, and also 26 of the 50 countries with the highest number of TB-related deaths globally.
Furthermore nine of the world's 22 high-burden TB countries are in Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The outbreaks of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) now threaten to further complicate the TB epidemic.
TB continues to be the leading killer of people living with HIV (PLHIV). The need for collaborative TB and HIV activities to respond to rising challenge of TB and HIV co-infection, is compelling. 22 high HIV prevalence countries with an estimated adult HIV prevalence rate equal to or greater than 4% are in Africa.
Five of the TB most affected countries: Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, DRC and Kenya are all also amongst Africa's most highly populated countries, are all regional hubs or countries with the most number of common borders with other countries, says the activists.
Many organizations have signed on this call and those interested in signing on the call to Africa to fund the gap in TB control, can email Lucy Chesire at lucy_chesire@yahoo.com or Mayowa Joel at mayowajoel@yahoo.com
This call will be delivered to the Heads of State, ministers of Health and Finance at the forthcoming African Union summit in 2009.
Despite of African governments declaring tuberculosis (TB) as an emergency, Africa as a region, faces the largest funding gap of USD 10.7 billion to fully implement the Global Plan to Stop TB by 2015. This fact came in spotlight when the TB funding in Africa required to meet the TB-related targets of millennium development goals (MDG) by 2015 was analyzed, said Kenyan activist Lucy Chesire at the 3rd Stop TB Partners' Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (23-25 March 2009).
"The Ministers of health had recognized that TB is an emergency, but they don't act to mobilize resources to respond urgently to control TB and fully implement the Global Plan to Stop TB" stressed Lucy.
The countries in Africa had achieved a milestone by endorsing the African Union Abuja pledge of allocating 15% of national budgets to health, which was also reiterated at the 2008 African Union Summit in Egypt, the 2008 Conference of African Finance Ministers, and 2008 Special Conference of African Health Ministers. But they have failed to act on this pledge, said the activists. Only Botswana has kept the promise of allocating 15% of the national budget to health, the rest of the countries in Africa need to keep their promises.
To put pressure on these countries to fund the gap in TB control, the Africa Public Health Alliance had launched an 'African TB Partners Call on African Heads of State, Health and Finance Ministers to fund the gap in the fight against TB' at the 3rd Stop TB Partners' Forum.
"The current global economic crisis is all the more reason why high burden TB countries in Africa should invest in TB control. As per a report of World Bank and Stop TB Partnership (December 2007), high-burden TB countries are likely to recover 9-15 times of their investment in TB control" said Mayowa Joel of Nigeria. This report indicates that the economic cost of not treating TB to Africa between 2006 and 2015 would be USD 519 billion while TB can be controlled with USD 20 billion in the same period.
Even though Africa makes up only 11.7% of the global population, Africa alone contributes 27 of the 50 countries globally with the highest numbers of people living with TB, and also 26 of the 50 countries with the highest number of TB-related deaths globally.
Furthermore nine of the world's 22 high-burden TB countries are in Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The outbreaks of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) now threaten to further complicate the TB epidemic.
TB continues to be the leading killer of people living with HIV (PLHIV). The need for collaborative TB and HIV activities to respond to rising challenge of TB and HIV co-infection, is compelling. 22 high HIV prevalence countries with an estimated adult HIV prevalence rate equal to or greater than 4% are in Africa.
Five of the TB most affected countries: Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, DRC and Kenya are all also amongst Africa's most highly populated countries, are all regional hubs or countries with the most number of common borders with other countries, says the activists.
Many organizations have signed on this call and those interested in signing on the call to Africa to fund the gap in TB control, can email Lucy Chesire at lucy_chesire@yahoo.com or Mayowa Joel at mayowajoel@yahoo.com
This call will be delivered to the Heads of State, ministers of Health and Finance at the forthcoming African Union summit in 2009.
High-level Ministerial meeting on drug-resistant tuberculosis in Beijing
High-level Ministerial meeting on drug-resistant tuberculosis in Beijing
The High Level Ministerial Meeting on multi- and extensively- drug resistant TB (M/XDR-TB) will be held in Beijing from 1 to 3 April 2009 and is being organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
This meeting is likely to bring together health ministers and other stakeholders from 27 high M/XDR-TB burdened countries, including justice and science ministry delegations and representatives from international agencies, civil society, research communities and the corporate sector.
"We have been able to convince the ministers of health of 27 high burden M/XDR-TB countries to come to the Beijing meeting and commit to achieve the targets of the Global Plan to Stop TB" said Dr Ernesto Jaramillo, Medical Officer, Stop TB Department, World Health Organization (WHO) at the 3rd Stop TB Partners' Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"The 2nd Global Plan to Stop TB which was launched in 2006 had laid out specific targets for MDR-TB, to provide universal access to diagnosis and treatment of MDR-TB by year 2015" said Dr Jaramillo.
"Only 3% of people who have MDR-TB have access to effective treatment. We have compelling evidence that we know how to prevent and treat MDR-TB and treatment success rate is 80% in low resource setting. Its intervention is complex but is effective, feasible and is cost-effective" stressed Dr Jaramillo.
The 27 countries represented will be Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Pakistan, South Africa, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.
The highest levels of MDR-TB ever recorded were reported by WHO in its 'Anti-tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World' report in February 2008 with nearly half a million new MDR-TB cases emerging worldwide. According to the new WHO report (Global Tuberculosis Control report 2009), the levels of multi-drug resistant TB might be more than half a million as previously thought.
The threat of MDR-TB and XDR-TB can be halted but few of the 27 high MDR-TB burdened countries have response plans in place. Many of these countries are not even properly equipped to diagnose drug-resistant TB.
"We need political commitment from the countries. The XDR-TB task force had met in April 2008 in order to assess the progress we had made in response to MDR-TB and XDR-TB. The Task Force came up with lot of positive things, major progress in many areas. However the number of people on treatment was far below the target. One of the clear recommendations coming out of the XDR-TB Task Force meeting was to convene a high level ministerial meeting where we can get ministers of countries responsible for the 85% of the global M/XDR-TB burden, to achieve the target of universal access to diagnosis and treatment of MDR-TB by 2015" explained Dr Jaramillo.
Countries with low resources are building their capacities to make things happen. Lesotho was able to make a state-of-the-art laboratory for diagnosis of MDR-TB in six months. "We have countries like Nepal, Philippines, Peru that despite of weakness in health systems are providing universal access to MDR-TB diagnosis and treatment" said Dr Jaramillo.
"So far the Green Light Committee (GLC) mechanism, which is an initiative of WHO, and has played an instrumental role in leading the response, began with only one country in the year 2000 - Philippines. Now 8 years later we have 58 countries that have 116 projects approved by GLC. However we have less than 20% of countries that are moving towards scale up country wide of these interventions" said Dr Jaramillo.
Dr Jaramillo expressed his concern that "Countries are not moving fast enough in order to prevent the death of 1000 people with MDR-TB every day."
Vice Premier of China, the Director-General of WHO and very likely that Bill Gates and ministers of health confirmed so far from 21 high burden M/XDR-TB countries will be taking part in the Beijing meeting opening next week.
"We are expecting that this will be a watershed meeting in response to M/XDR-TB" said Dr Jaramillo.
"After this meeting we will like to move towards a World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution. The resolution of WHA is powerful in the sense that countries really commit to do things. After the Beijing meeting, one month later, the Government of China has agreed to submit a proposal of a resolution to the WHA in order to accelerate the response to M/XDR-TB" shared Dr Jaramillo.
The aims of the WHO high-level ministerial meeting on M/XDR-TB include:
- Strengthening political commitment and boosting engagement among affected countries and the global community.
- Using the months leading up to April 2009 to support countries to develop costed MDR-TB components of TB control within health sector plans.
- Working towards solutions in areas such as:
* anti-TB drug quality, supply and rational use;
* laboratory capacity and fast adoption of new and rapid diagnostic tools;
* involvement of the private sector in MDR-TB prevention and control;
* prevention of transmission of TB in healthcare facilities (infection control), congregate settings, prisons and communities;
* promotion of patient and community rights and responsibilites (The Patients' Charter for Tuberculosis care);
* research and development of new drugs and diagnostics.
One-third of TB cases go undetected: WHO
One-third of TB cases go undetected: WHO
About 3 million people fail to access TB treatment under directly-observed treatment shortcourse (DOTS), according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Control Report 2009.
Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of Stop TB Department of WHO, said to this correspondent that "more than one-third of all TB cases are not detected under DOTS. Some of these un-notified cases are never diagnosed."
Either the poor access to TB services in some African settings or people accessing TB services in private settings in Asia contribute to these cases going un-notified. There is a clear thrust to scale up new TB case detection and successfully treating those diagnosed.
"There are probably many more TB-HIV co-infection cases than we had previously thought", adds Dr Raviglione. "In 2007, out of the total 9.3 million TB cases, 1.4 million are due to HIV" says Dr Raviglione.
According to the new report released on World TB Day (24 March 2009) at the 3rd Stop TB Partners' Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, out of 1.7 million TB deaths, half a million deaths are due to TB-HIV co-infection, which is double than the number of deaths attributed to TB-HIV co-infection last year (one out of four TB deaths is HIV-related, twice as many as previously recognized). This figure reflects an improvement in the quality of the country data, which are now more representative and available from more countries than in previous years.
The report reveals a sharp increase in HIV testing among people being treated for TB, especially in Africa. In 2004, just 4% of TB patients in the region were tested for HIV; in 2007 that number rose to 37%, with several countries testing more than 75% of TB patients for their HIV status.
Because of increased testing for HIV among TB patients, more people are getting appropriate treatment though the numbers still remain a small fraction of those in need. In 2007, 200,000 HIV-positive TB patients were enrolled on co-trimoxazole treatment to prevent opportunistic infections and 100,000 were on antiretroviral therapy.
There is a clear mandate to accelerate collaboration between TB and HIV programmes at all levels.
"The incidence of TB per capita continues to go down since 2004 however the decline is just one per cent per year which implies that we will not be able to eliminate TB for centuries" says Dr Raviglione. "We need to fully implement the Stop TB Strategy" stresses Dr Raviglione.
The WHO Global Tuberculosis Control Report 2009 confirms the notion that there might be more than half a million multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases every year. "54 countries have reported extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) to us" said Dr Raviglione.
- Bobby Ramakant
Will genuine partnerships improve TB responses despite of economic recession?
Will genuine partnerships improve TB responses despite of economic recession?
In these times of global meltdown, it is all the more critical to focus on how can TB care and control, be still seen as a smart investment to governments, private sector and other stakeholders.
There is enough evidence to substantiate that TB care and control is a smart investment. In December 2007, a World Bank report had revealed that high burden TB countries can earn significantly more than they spend on TB diagnosis and treatment if they signed onto the Stop TB Partnership's Global Plan to Stop TB. This study made it clear that the economic benefits of TB control are greater than the costs. Most highly affected countries could gain nine times or more their investments in TB control.
In these times of global meltdown, it is all the more critical to focus on how can TB care and control, be still seen as a smart investment to governments, private sector and other stakeholders.
There is enough evidence to substantiate that TB care and control is a smart investment. In December 2007, a World Bank report had revealed that high burden TB countries can earn significantly more than they spend on TB diagnosis and treatment if they signed onto the Stop TB Partnership's Global Plan to Stop TB. This study made it clear that the economic benefits of TB control are greater than the costs. Most highly affected countries could gain nine times or more their investments in TB control.
However, when the 3rd Stop TB Partners' Forum is about to begin in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (23-25 March 2009), World TB Day (24 March 2009) is hardly few hours ahead, and the high-level Ministerial meeting on M/XDR-TB will commence during 1-3 April 2009 in Beijing, China, it is certainly a food for thought on how can we still salvage TB care and control programmes in these times of economic recession.
Just few days back, the American International Group (AIG) was in the news for disbursing nearly half a billion US dollars as bonuses of the bail-out money.
In most countries, leaders are resorting to extreme cost-cutting measures that threaten funding for TB treatment and control measures across the globe. The cuts will be made, and the investment will only occur in 'smart' areas.
Clearly more needs to be done to convince the world that TB care and control is a smart investment. In the past months, the indications have been worrisome. While the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) continues its search for the US$ 5 billion in funding still needed for 2009-2010, Wall Street corporations gave themselves $18 billion in holiday bonuses.
The money for these bonuses came from tax payers but would tax payers rather fund holidays for bankers, or save lives in countries hit hard by the three diseases - AIDS, TB and Malaria? The Merrill Lynch bonuses alone would have paid off GFATM's funding short-fall in full.
Jeffery Sachs, Director of Columbia University's Earth Institute and a Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General, had called on the US government to take back the $18 billion and use the money to help buy antiretroviral drugs and mosquito nets.
Calling the bonuses, "unbelievably egregious" Sachs said, "Those bonuses are being paid out of our bailout funds . . . I suggest the US government reclaim that funding and put the money into the Global Fund immediately."
The GFATM provides a quarter of all international funding for the response to HIV, two-thirds of all the money that goes to tackling TB and three quarters of all money spent on stopping malaria.
But GFATM has only collected $3 billion of the $8 billion needed to fund projects around the world in 2009 and 2010. Sachs says the $5 billion funding short-fall faced by GFTAM is less than half a percent of the money G8 countries have spent on bailing out failed banks in the past three months.
The US has failed to keep its promises to GFATM and has not handed over 0.7% to 1% of its annual gross national product as agreed. The US is at 0.16 of 1% of its income for development assistance. It's the lowest level of all 22 donor countries.
It is clear that unless the TB advocates reach out to decision makers to impress upon them the urgency of strengthening TB care and control programmes, the global economic meltdown is likely to threaten to reverse the gains made in TB care over past decades. "I believe we should not lower our sights one bit. Rather, we should broadcast far and wide irrefutable arguments for more and better TB control now. The fight against TB is more than a humanitarian cause – it is also a smart investment, at a time when many investments seem insecure" said Dr Marcos Espinal, on the Stop TB Forum's blog.
Time is running out. How can the world begin to see TB care as a smart investment?
Unless those who are not yet convinced that TB care is a smart investment, get convinced that they are equal partners in TB programmes, the situation will not radically change.
The answer might be in partnerships - genuine partnerships - not just between TB stakeholders, but with a broad range of partners. This will also mean that people will have to step beyond the mandates of their institutions and organizations to synergize as effectively and genuinely as possible. It is not only the TB advocates, but other potential partners who need to be convinced that TB care is a smart investment.
TB needs to be seen more than a medical or health issue, it is in all earnestness, a development challenge threatening sustainable development in most hard-hit communities.
- Bobby Ramakant
Evidence is key in improving health responses during financial crisis
Evidence is key in improving health responses during financial crisis
The study of causes, distribution, spread and control of diseases in populations, epidemiology, is a fundamental science and an integral part of public health. Epidemiology has helped address old public health challenges and continues to be a tool to investigate new challenges by providing evidence required for sound public health action.
Efforts to strengthen epidemiology should remain a priority of Member States even when plagued by the challenge of climate change, an energy crisis or a global financial crisis.
"To address each of these challenges, what we need is the information or the evidence or data not only for developing of our strategies and policies, but also for advocacy," said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia at the inauguration of a "Regional Meeting on Application of Epidemiological Principles for Public Health Action" in New Delhi.
The two-day meeting is aimed at formulating an agreed framework for action, both within WHO and in Member States. This would help to strengthen epidemiological capacities in the Region and to apply this know-how and skills to overcome current public health challenges such as those arising from the current financial downturn, climate change and from emergence of new pathogens.
"The main idea behind this meeting is to ascertain how we can together strengthen and focus our attention on the application of epidemiological concepts and principles in national health programme development and management of health problems," said Dr Jai P. Narain, Director, Communicable Diseases, WHO SEARO.
More than 50 eminent epidemiologists are attending this two-day regional meeting.
Published in
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Citizen News Service (CNS)
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
The study of causes, distribution, spread and control of diseases in populations, epidemiology, is a fundamental science and an integral part of public health. Epidemiology has helped address old public health challenges and continues to be a tool to investigate new challenges by providing evidence required for sound public health action.
Efforts to strengthen epidemiology should remain a priority of Member States even when plagued by the challenge of climate change, an energy crisis or a global financial crisis.
"To address each of these challenges, what we need is the information or the evidence or data not only for developing of our strategies and policies, but also for advocacy," said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia at the inauguration of a "Regional Meeting on Application of Epidemiological Principles for Public Health Action" in New Delhi.
The two-day meeting is aimed at formulating an agreed framework for action, both within WHO and in Member States. This would help to strengthen epidemiological capacities in the Region and to apply this know-how and skills to overcome current public health challenges such as those arising from the current financial downturn, climate change and from emergence of new pathogens.
"The main idea behind this meeting is to ascertain how we can together strengthen and focus our attention on the application of epidemiological concepts and principles in national health programme development and management of health problems," said Dr Jai P. Narain, Director, Communicable Diseases, WHO SEARO.
More than 50 eminent epidemiologists are attending this two-day regional meeting.
Published in
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Citizen News Service (CNS)
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Engaging philanthropists: This time it's personal
Engaging philanthropists: This time it's personal
"…I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life giving my time, money and skills to worthwhile endeavours where I could make a difference. I didn’t know exactly what I would do, but I wanted to help save lives, solve important problems, and give more young people the chance to live their dreams" (1)
While personal philanthropy has always played a role in the non-profit and development world, the tide has been quietly turning in ways that have increased its relative importance to the fundraising efforts of many organizations:
* Institutional donors have come under increasing pressure to reduce their transaction costs – preferring to administer larger grants to fewer organizations.
* The current climate of economic decline and uncertainty in many countries is bringing into question the sustainability of overseas development assistance programmes of industrialized countries and undermining the capital reserves of established foundations.
* Recent foreign exchange rate fluctuations have made the spending value of some secured grants unpredictable.
* Corporate and personal fortunes, combined with an increasing awareness of widespread equity challenges in many nations and communities, are fuelling a new era in philanthropy.
Engaging individual or corporate philanthropists is not simply a matter of sending the same fundraising proposal to a different contact. In many instances, new family foundations and corporate giving programmes reflect a personal motivation to make a difference in the world. In addition to being more ‘business-like’ than institutional donors (e.g. requiring higher levels of clarity and accountability), individual founders are often actively involved in their foundations. This means that understanding the underlying motivation of personal giving is vital to designing a sustainable philanthropy outreach and engagement programme.
Philanthropists are often driven by more personal needs and wants than other donors. They give, at least in part, based on an exchange of values that allows them to:
* enhance their own sense of self-worth
* see themselves in the beneficiaries being served
* do the ‘right’ thing
* create a return (or benefit) on their investment.
Loyalty and trust are key ingredients of philanthropist engagement. They are each commanded by organizations that:
* are seen as leaders in their field
* connect with supporters emotionally
* provide relevance and meaning
* help supporters to make a statement about what they value
* help supporters meet their own vision for the world
* provide them with a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves.
Engaging philanthropists should first be about building relationships based on the assumption that they are interested in the success of your organization, and as a means to mobilize resources second.
"Yesterday, the most successful non-profits were those that donors knew best. Today, the most successful non-profits are those that know their donors best" (2)
References:
1. Former US President Bill Clinton in his book Giving: How each of us can change the world.
2. From: Hart et al (2005): Nonprofit internet strategies: Best practices for marketing, communications and fundraising.
Dr Tim France
(The author is the Managing Director, Inís. Website: www.inis.ie)
Published in
The Gautemala Times, Guatemala
Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
The Morung Express, Manipur, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
The Standard Times, Sierra Leone
Pakistan Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
"…I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life giving my time, money and skills to worthwhile endeavours where I could make a difference. I didn’t know exactly what I would do, but I wanted to help save lives, solve important problems, and give more young people the chance to live their dreams" (1)
While personal philanthropy has always played a role in the non-profit and development world, the tide has been quietly turning in ways that have increased its relative importance to the fundraising efforts of many organizations:
* Institutional donors have come under increasing pressure to reduce their transaction costs – preferring to administer larger grants to fewer organizations.
* The current climate of economic decline and uncertainty in many countries is bringing into question the sustainability of overseas development assistance programmes of industrialized countries and undermining the capital reserves of established foundations.
* Recent foreign exchange rate fluctuations have made the spending value of some secured grants unpredictable.
* Corporate and personal fortunes, combined with an increasing awareness of widespread equity challenges in many nations and communities, are fuelling a new era in philanthropy.
Engaging individual or corporate philanthropists is not simply a matter of sending the same fundraising proposal to a different contact. In many instances, new family foundations and corporate giving programmes reflect a personal motivation to make a difference in the world. In addition to being more ‘business-like’ than institutional donors (e.g. requiring higher levels of clarity and accountability), individual founders are often actively involved in their foundations. This means that understanding the underlying motivation of personal giving is vital to designing a sustainable philanthropy outreach and engagement programme.
Philanthropists are often driven by more personal needs and wants than other donors. They give, at least in part, based on an exchange of values that allows them to:
* enhance their own sense of self-worth
* see themselves in the beneficiaries being served
* do the ‘right’ thing
* create a return (or benefit) on their investment.
Loyalty and trust are key ingredients of philanthropist engagement. They are each commanded by organizations that:
* are seen as leaders in their field
* connect with supporters emotionally
* provide relevance and meaning
* help supporters to make a statement about what they value
* help supporters meet their own vision for the world
* provide them with a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves.
Engaging philanthropists should first be about building relationships based on the assumption that they are interested in the success of your organization, and as a means to mobilize resources second.
"Yesterday, the most successful non-profits were those that donors knew best. Today, the most successful non-profits are those that know their donors best" (2)
References:
1. Former US President Bill Clinton in his book Giving: How each of us can change the world.
2. From: Hart et al (2005): Nonprofit internet strategies: Best practices for marketing, communications and fundraising.
Dr Tim France
(The author is the Managing Director, Inís. Website: www.inis.ie)
Published in
The Gautemala Times, Guatemala
Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
The Morung Express, Manipur, India
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
The Standard Times, Sierra Leone
Pakistan Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
News Track India, Delhi
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Obama and Mayawati: a Comparison in Contrast
Obama and Mayawati: a Comparison in Contrast
SR Darapuri
It will be apt to mention in the beginning that a comparison between Obama and Mayawati (Dalit woman Chief Minister of UP state in India) is not very appropriate because there is a world of difference between their personalities and deeds. But some over enthusiastic followers of Mayawati have started comparing them and are spreading the dictum that "if Obama can do it why cannot she?" They have started projecting her as the future Prime Minister of India. As such it becomes necessary to make an attempt to make a comparison between Obama and Mayawati.
The first point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their social background. Obama is an African-American. His father was black and his mother was white. Mayawati's both parents are dalits. But it is pertinent to note that during his electioneering he nowhere used his black identity to influence his voters. Throughout his election campaign he spoke about his policies and plans whereas in the case of Mayawati she has never spoken about her policies and plans. On the other hand her dalit identity is the starting point of her politics for emotional exploitation of dalits.
The second point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their ability to mobilize fund for the party. Obama through small contributions raised a party fund to the tune of $650 millions but he deposited it in the party fund account and used it for electioneering. Mayawati also raised her property to the tune of Rs. 520 millions up to 2007 and further added Rs. 600 millions during 2007-08. But she did not deposit this amount in party fund account. Rather she deposited it in her personal and her family member's accounts. There are also allegations of selling MLA's and MP's tickets at election time at competitive rates. It is worth mentioning that CBI has already prepared a charge sheet against her for amassing personal property worth Rs. 300 millions beyond her known sources of income.
The third point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati concerns their policies and plans. As we know Obama fought the election on the plank of "Need of change for America" and has won it with this promise. He has promised to take America out of financial crises and reduce unemployment. As regards Mayawati she has never made any promise to solve any public problem. In fact she does not have any such plan or program to solve the public problems like poverty, unemployment, lack of health infrastructure, drinking water, housing and illiteracy etc.
The fourth point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their pursuit of political power. Obama has been elected as the most powerful President of the oldest democracy of the world. Mayawati has also been elected for the fourth time as the Chief Minister of the most populous state (Uttar Pardesh) of India. Obama has promised to use the political power for solving the problems facing the U.S. people whereas Mayawati has been accused of using it for self aggrandizement. Dr. Ambedkar had remarked that political power should be used for social progress. But Mayawati lacks such inclination even in the case of dalits who are her prime constituency. As a result of it the dalits of U.P. continue to be behind the dalits of all other states of India except that of Bihar and Orissa. In spite of her occupying the Chief Ministership for the fourth time U.P. continues to suffer from under industrialization and over all backwardness. As such she can be held responsible for the backwardness of U.P. as well as that of U.P.dalits to a good extent. According to one study U.P. has suffered regression during the last decade. It is noticeable that Mayawati has been in power since 1995 with some breaks in between.
The next point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati can be in respect of psychological impact of their victory on their voters. In case of Obama his victory has exhilarated Blacks, Minorities and Whites also to good extent. In case of Mayawati dalits excluding intellectual section thereof and muscleman and moneyed men of higher castes are only exhilarated because the latter are especially the main beneficiaries of her position. Dalits have only the psychological satisfaction of having a Chief Minister of their own caste. They are totally deprived of all the material gains of power on account of corrupt and inefficient administration being run by Mayawati. Minorities, mainly the Muslims are highly skeptical about Mayawati because in her pursuit of political power she can make alliance with their staunch opponent and a communal party like B.J.P. as she had done thrice in the past.
From a brief comparison between Obama and Mayawati it becomes evident that it is not very appropriate because there is a world of difference between their personalities and deeds. Rather it can be said to be a comparison in contrast. Even then if admirers of Mayawati are so anxious to make a comparison they should look for qualities like a vision, an urge for change, impeccable integrity and inclination to use political power for social progresses as exemplified in Obama. They must display mental honesty and proper courage to criticize her for her personal greed to amass wealth, lack of vision and unprincipled pursuit of power. She may also be dissuaded from wasting public money in creating memorials and installing her own statues in an effort to immortalize her. People are immortalized by their noble deeds and not by their statue. Obama is to be judged in the near future but Mayawati has already been judged.
Published in
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Northern News Lines, Chandigarh
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Two Circles
News Track India, Delhi
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Dalit Liberation
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Counter Currents
News Blaze, USA
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
My News, Delhi
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
News from Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Pakistan Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Op-Ed News (OEN), UK
URLfan.com
Truth Feeds
Kerala News, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Bangladesh Daily News Service
Ambedkar Times
Howrah News Service (HNS), West Bengal
SR Darapuri
It will be apt to mention in the beginning that a comparison between Obama and Mayawati (Dalit woman Chief Minister of UP state in India) is not very appropriate because there is a world of difference between their personalities and deeds. But some over enthusiastic followers of Mayawati have started comparing them and are spreading the dictum that "if Obama can do it why cannot she?" They have started projecting her as the future Prime Minister of India. As such it becomes necessary to make an attempt to make a comparison between Obama and Mayawati.
The first point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their social background. Obama is an African-American. His father was black and his mother was white. Mayawati's both parents are dalits. But it is pertinent to note that during his electioneering he nowhere used his black identity to influence his voters. Throughout his election campaign he spoke about his policies and plans whereas in the case of Mayawati she has never spoken about her policies and plans. On the other hand her dalit identity is the starting point of her politics for emotional exploitation of dalits.
The second point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their ability to mobilize fund for the party. Obama through small contributions raised a party fund to the tune of $650 millions but he deposited it in the party fund account and used it for electioneering. Mayawati also raised her property to the tune of Rs. 520 millions up to 2007 and further added Rs. 600 millions during 2007-08. But she did not deposit this amount in party fund account. Rather she deposited it in her personal and her family member's accounts. There are also allegations of selling MLA's and MP's tickets at election time at competitive rates. It is worth mentioning that CBI has already prepared a charge sheet against her for amassing personal property worth Rs. 300 millions beyond her known sources of income.
The third point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati concerns their policies and plans. As we know Obama fought the election on the plank of "Need of change for America" and has won it with this promise. He has promised to take America out of financial crises and reduce unemployment. As regards Mayawati she has never made any promise to solve any public problem. In fact she does not have any such plan or program to solve the public problems like poverty, unemployment, lack of health infrastructure, drinking water, housing and illiteracy etc.
The fourth point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their pursuit of political power. Obama has been elected as the most powerful President of the oldest democracy of the world. Mayawati has also been elected for the fourth time as the Chief Minister of the most populous state (Uttar Pardesh) of India. Obama has promised to use the political power for solving the problems facing the U.S. people whereas Mayawati has been accused of using it for self aggrandizement. Dr. Ambedkar had remarked that political power should be used for social progress. But Mayawati lacks such inclination even in the case of dalits who are her prime constituency. As a result of it the dalits of U.P. continue to be behind the dalits of all other states of India except that of Bihar and Orissa. In spite of her occupying the Chief Ministership for the fourth time U.P. continues to suffer from under industrialization and over all backwardness. As such she can be held responsible for the backwardness of U.P. as well as that of U.P.dalits to a good extent. According to one study U.P. has suffered regression during the last decade. It is noticeable that Mayawati has been in power since 1995 with some breaks in between.
The next point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati can be in respect of psychological impact of their victory on their voters. In case of Obama his victory has exhilarated Blacks, Minorities and Whites also to good extent. In case of Mayawati dalits excluding intellectual section thereof and muscleman and moneyed men of higher castes are only exhilarated because the latter are especially the main beneficiaries of her position. Dalits have only the psychological satisfaction of having a Chief Minister of their own caste. They are totally deprived of all the material gains of power on account of corrupt and inefficient administration being run by Mayawati. Minorities, mainly the Muslims are highly skeptical about Mayawati because in her pursuit of political power she can make alliance with their staunch opponent and a communal party like B.J.P. as she had done thrice in the past.
From a brief comparison between Obama and Mayawati it becomes evident that it is not very appropriate because there is a world of difference between their personalities and deeds. Rather it can be said to be a comparison in contrast. Even then if admirers of Mayawati are so anxious to make a comparison they should look for qualities like a vision, an urge for change, impeccable integrity and inclination to use political power for social progresses as exemplified in Obama. They must display mental honesty and proper courage to criticize her for her personal greed to amass wealth, lack of vision and unprincipled pursuit of power. She may also be dissuaded from wasting public money in creating memorials and installing her own statues in an effort to immortalize her. People are immortalized by their noble deeds and not by their statue. Obama is to be judged in the near future but Mayawati has already been judged.
SR Darapuri
(The author is a retired Inspector General (IG) Police, Government of India. Email: srdarapuri@yahoo.co.in)Published in
Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan
Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
Northern News Lines, Chandigarh
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Assam Times, Guwahati, Assam
Two Circles
News Track India, Delhi
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Dalit Liberation
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Counter Currents
News Blaze, USA
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
My News, Delhi
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
News from Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Pakistan Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Op-Ed News (OEN), UK
URLfan.com
Truth Feeds
Kerala News, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Bangladesh Daily News Service
Ambedkar Times
Howrah News Service (HNS), West Bengal
Global Recession: One of the Several Crises facing Human Society
Global Recession: One of the Several Crises facing Human Society
Dr Rahul Pandey
I do not remember witnessing this kind of global panic in my lifetime. Probably the twin towers crash generated a reaction of similar magnitude as the recent financial meltdown and recession.
Among others, a lot of well off people are going to be directly affected by the current financial crisis, hence these high decibel alarm bells. Significant market values of high profile companies have been wiped out, rich individuals who invest actively in stock market have suffered devaluation, many companies have begun to fire employees and cut costs, and as bigger companies face slowdown, their smaller suppliers face greater threat to survival. Consumers have begun to tighten spending and fears of recession giving way to depression are already stalking. Though a lot has been written and a lot is yet to be written about this turmoil, my purpose here is to draw up its deeper structural links and paint the broader picture by viewing it together with other crises facing the human society.
This global financial crisis, expected to last longer than most of us hope, joins the other four equally global and longer lasting crises that humanity has been facing since at least a few decades now. The global terrorism and inter-community conflicts. The global warming and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Sustaining, if not rising, levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality between and within nations. And the high levels of psychological stress that many of us bear due to modern work and life styles. These crises span all domains of human society – economic, cultural, ecological, and psychological. I will merely remind here that all these phenomena are eventually linked to the structure of the current dominant economic system that man has designed. And the political system that supports it. Let us briefly look at each of these crises in turn.
First, that the current financial meltdown and accompanying economic recession is a direct outcome of undisciplined financial transactions of the free market is not in doubt. The utterly unregulated derivatives and other speculation driven markets combined with large scale lending and borrowing choked the system to the point of no return. Even the temporary fuel and food inflation that preceded and overlapped with the general recession was at least partially due to unregulated speculation and hoarding.
Second, the widespread international terrorism is directly linked to the US-led global wars and can be traced back to its ambitions of strengthening its economic and military control of the globe. While the connection with the economic system is not direct, the desperation of America and its allies for control over global oil reserves and other natural resources did play a role in these conflicts. Control of these resources has been crucial to sustain the high growth economic activities and ultra consumerist lifestyles that are integral to the free capital market driven economies.
Third, it is now well accepted by everyone but a few self-delusory beings that the global warming and climate change is the direct consequence of human-induced rapid burning of fossil fuels. This unsustainable rate of burning has been done to meet the requirement of high growing economies and consumerist lifestyles. As the environmental externalities were not valued by the market, digging the fossil fuels, though ecologically disastrous, made economic sense. It enabled the producers to control energy and material costs and the well off consumers to enjoy the luxuries of energy intensive living like comfortable housing, private transport, and many lavish consumptions.
Fourth, though it is not a widely agreed effect, there is a link between the current economic paradigm and economic inequality and poverty. As average income of all economic organizations is roughly equivalent to average wage of all working people, a few can draw very high salaries only at the expense of the vast majority drawing less than average. A way of dealing with such glaring inequality and consequent discontentment has been to sustain a multi-layered and widely distributed income among people. Such multiple layers are created in the form of several hierarchies of employees with differential wage rates, earning differences between companies, between various economic activities, and between countries and geographies. Although such deep economic stratification of society helps in diffusing mass mobilization of discontent and creating cushion of managers, it also reinforces inequality and poverty. Casual wage labourers commonly seen working on farms, construction sites, small and medium factories, small road-side shops, as ragpickers and as private help in rich and middle-class households in the developing countries are examples of the most deprived economic classes in capitalist societies. Their numbers are large but their incomes are far less than prevailing average prices of commodities including several essential ones. A terribly divided lot, they try to survive on the fringes by cutting into their families’ essential needs like nutritious food, adequate clothes, shelter, hygienic surrounding, access to basic healthcare, and education of children.
Fifth, even the economically well off individuals in today’s society suffer from severe levels of psychological stress and related psychosomatic disorders. The most evident proof of this is the rising markets for pharmaceutical products on the one hand, and a variety of psycho-religious and stress relieving services on the other. The latter kind of services are offered by both professional trainers and religious, semi-religious and spiritual healers. The following of these sects has increased phenomenally among high earning individuals leading stressed work, family and social lives. It is not difficult to see that meaningless work roles and stressful working hours in the corporate sector combined with rapid paced consumption driven social life is at the core of most of our psychological problems. It is also not difficult to see that this is integral to the current economic system.
All the above examples of crises are meant to merely restate the fact that they are symptoms of the economic system that is predominantly driven by materialistic growth, consumption and greed. This system has proved to be too cruel and insensitive.
A major correction is therefore needed in this system to move towards a more humane and eco-friendly one. Such a change may of course not come through during the current course of events. Whether and when it occurs will depend on the interplay of political forces. One thing is certain: the battles on the global political arena will intensify and become messy. Capitalist lobbies will use all their financial muscle to try and retain as much autonomy as possible. Religious-Right groups will raise the bogey of 'moral values' and demand greater fundamentalist control over behaviour of organizations and people. Some on the Left will ask for greater authority of the State over people.
Saner voices will be of those who will demand real and greater democratic rights to the ordinary people. Democratic structures and channels that ensure even the economically weakest a proportionate say in the process of decisions and policies alone can guarantee economic, ecological, cultural and psychological contentment for all. We are still far behind such real democracy. But that is the way to move.
Dr Rahul Pandey
The author is a former faculty member of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow, and is currently a member of a start up venture that develops mathematical models for planning and policy analysis. His areas of interest include mathematical modeling, biological evolution, physics, development and environment, sustainable economics and industry, and social change. He can be contacted at rahulanjula@gmail.com
Published in
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
The Zimbabwe Guardian, Harare, Zimbabwe
News Track India, Delhi
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Northern News Lines, Chandigarh
Pakistan Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Stock Market One
Peaceful Burma News, Myanmar
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Citizen News Service (CNS)
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Dr Rahul Pandey
I do not remember witnessing this kind of global panic in my lifetime. Probably the twin towers crash generated a reaction of similar magnitude as the recent financial meltdown and recession.
Among others, a lot of well off people are going to be directly affected by the current financial crisis, hence these high decibel alarm bells. Significant market values of high profile companies have been wiped out, rich individuals who invest actively in stock market have suffered devaluation, many companies have begun to fire employees and cut costs, and as bigger companies face slowdown, their smaller suppliers face greater threat to survival. Consumers have begun to tighten spending and fears of recession giving way to depression are already stalking. Though a lot has been written and a lot is yet to be written about this turmoil, my purpose here is to draw up its deeper structural links and paint the broader picture by viewing it together with other crises facing the human society.
This global financial crisis, expected to last longer than most of us hope, joins the other four equally global and longer lasting crises that humanity has been facing since at least a few decades now. The global terrorism and inter-community conflicts. The global warming and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Sustaining, if not rising, levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality between and within nations. And the high levels of psychological stress that many of us bear due to modern work and life styles. These crises span all domains of human society – economic, cultural, ecological, and psychological. I will merely remind here that all these phenomena are eventually linked to the structure of the current dominant economic system that man has designed. And the political system that supports it. Let us briefly look at each of these crises in turn.
First, that the current financial meltdown and accompanying economic recession is a direct outcome of undisciplined financial transactions of the free market is not in doubt. The utterly unregulated derivatives and other speculation driven markets combined with large scale lending and borrowing choked the system to the point of no return. Even the temporary fuel and food inflation that preceded and overlapped with the general recession was at least partially due to unregulated speculation and hoarding.
Second, the widespread international terrorism is directly linked to the US-led global wars and can be traced back to its ambitions of strengthening its economic and military control of the globe. While the connection with the economic system is not direct, the desperation of America and its allies for control over global oil reserves and other natural resources did play a role in these conflicts. Control of these resources has been crucial to sustain the high growth economic activities and ultra consumerist lifestyles that are integral to the free capital market driven economies.
Third, it is now well accepted by everyone but a few self-delusory beings that the global warming and climate change is the direct consequence of human-induced rapid burning of fossil fuels. This unsustainable rate of burning has been done to meet the requirement of high growing economies and consumerist lifestyles. As the environmental externalities were not valued by the market, digging the fossil fuels, though ecologically disastrous, made economic sense. It enabled the producers to control energy and material costs and the well off consumers to enjoy the luxuries of energy intensive living like comfortable housing, private transport, and many lavish consumptions.
Fourth, though it is not a widely agreed effect, there is a link between the current economic paradigm and economic inequality and poverty. As average income of all economic organizations is roughly equivalent to average wage of all working people, a few can draw very high salaries only at the expense of the vast majority drawing less than average. A way of dealing with such glaring inequality and consequent discontentment has been to sustain a multi-layered and widely distributed income among people. Such multiple layers are created in the form of several hierarchies of employees with differential wage rates, earning differences between companies, between various economic activities, and between countries and geographies. Although such deep economic stratification of society helps in diffusing mass mobilization of discontent and creating cushion of managers, it also reinforces inequality and poverty. Casual wage labourers commonly seen working on farms, construction sites, small and medium factories, small road-side shops, as ragpickers and as private help in rich and middle-class households in the developing countries are examples of the most deprived economic classes in capitalist societies. Their numbers are large but their incomes are far less than prevailing average prices of commodities including several essential ones. A terribly divided lot, they try to survive on the fringes by cutting into their families’ essential needs like nutritious food, adequate clothes, shelter, hygienic surrounding, access to basic healthcare, and education of children.
Fifth, even the economically well off individuals in today’s society suffer from severe levels of psychological stress and related psychosomatic disorders. The most evident proof of this is the rising markets for pharmaceutical products on the one hand, and a variety of psycho-religious and stress relieving services on the other. The latter kind of services are offered by both professional trainers and religious, semi-religious and spiritual healers. The following of these sects has increased phenomenally among high earning individuals leading stressed work, family and social lives. It is not difficult to see that meaningless work roles and stressful working hours in the corporate sector combined with rapid paced consumption driven social life is at the core of most of our psychological problems. It is also not difficult to see that this is integral to the current economic system.
All the above examples of crises are meant to merely restate the fact that they are symptoms of the economic system that is predominantly driven by materialistic growth, consumption and greed. This system has proved to be too cruel and insensitive.
A major correction is therefore needed in this system to move towards a more humane and eco-friendly one. Such a change may of course not come through during the current course of events. Whether and when it occurs will depend on the interplay of political forces. One thing is certain: the battles on the global political arena will intensify and become messy. Capitalist lobbies will use all their financial muscle to try and retain as much autonomy as possible. Religious-Right groups will raise the bogey of 'moral values' and demand greater fundamentalist control over behaviour of organizations and people. Some on the Left will ask for greater authority of the State over people.
Saner voices will be of those who will demand real and greater democratic rights to the ordinary people. Democratic structures and channels that ensure even the economically weakest a proportionate say in the process of decisions and policies alone can guarantee economic, ecological, cultural and psychological contentment for all. We are still far behind such real democracy. But that is the way to move.
Dr Rahul Pandey
The author is a former faculty member of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow, and is currently a member of a start up venture that develops mathematical models for planning and policy analysis. His areas of interest include mathematical modeling, biological evolution, physics, development and environment, sustainable economics and industry, and social change. He can be contacted at rahulanjula@gmail.com
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