Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - Thursday December 20, 2001
Christopher Noble

That new money, six times more than current expenditures, would save 8 million lives annually, said the report by some of the world's leading economists and public health specialists.

Overall, the report proposes additional annual spending of $119 billion by 2015, $65 billion more than the $54 billion now spent by rich and poor nations.

Aside from improved health, extended life expectancy and lower birth rates, the spending will yield big dividends in political stability and international security as populations in developing nations become less vulnerable and more productive, the report said.

The crux of the 210-page report is that improved health is a prerequisite for economic development, a finding that departs from conventional thought, which posits that health will automatically improve on the coattails of economic growth.

"Africa will not be able to get right until the major pandemics, AIDS -- but also tuberculosis and malaria -- are brought under control," said Jeffrey Sachs, a Harvard economist who chaired the World Health Organization's Commission on Macroeconomics and Health.

And poor countries cannot beat these diseases alone.

"They're so poor that they can't address the problems that are making them poor. They're trapped," Sachs said in a conference call with reporters.

SHORTLIST OF TARGETS

Only a few health problems are to blame for most of the damage, the report said, and urged less developed countries to start national programs to fight them.

The list includes HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, childhood infectious diseases, unsafe pregnancies and tobacco related illnesses, the report said, noting effective treatments exist for most of these conditions.

"It's a relatively well-defined target list to go after in terms of reducing the disease burden," Sachs said.

The new money would be used for medicines, health centers and other infrastructure needed to administer the new programs, the report said.

Despite a can-do attitude, the report points out the enormously complex nature of the task.

"Successful implementation of such a program requires political and administrative commitment, strengthening of country technical and administrative expertise, substantial strengthening of public management systems and creation of systems of community accountability," it said.

The size of the suggested financial commitment is likely to turn heads, especially as world economic growth slumps and the United States ramps up its war on terror.

But Sachs described the money as a "modest effort" for rich countries.

"As a macro economist I am underwhelmed by these numbers in that these are not huge compared to anything we talk about," Sachs said. "In Afghanistan we spend about $1 billion a month. For this program for the United States, it would be $8 billion per year."

"We could do this if we want to do this," he said. "It's a matter of choice not affordability."

The report was commissioned in January 2000 by Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director General of the World Health Organization.

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