It is intolerable that limited economic resources, so often experienced at the present time, should in fact have repercussions mainly on the weaker sectors of the population and on the less well-off areas of the world, depriving them of necessary healthcare. These limitations cannot be allowed to deny healthcare to some age groups or situations of particular frailty and weakness, such as newborn life, old age, serious disability, [and] terminal illnesses. Every human person, created in the image and likeness of God and called to share in his divine life, has the right to be able to sit at the table of common feast and enjoy the benefits of progress, science, technology, and medicine."
Pope John Paul II thus concluded a 20-minute address delivered to me and to 100 other healthcare professionals gathered in Vatican City a few months ago to examine the relationship between economics, health, and religion. In the course of a two-day international conference convened by the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, I was privileged to engage in dialogue with colleagues from several faiths and professional backgrounds and explore what religious communities can do to achieve human health for all.
In furtherance of the pontiff's charge--and in line with the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care's (IAPAC) efforts to expand the provision of care to millions of people with HIV disease globally--IAPAC will host its first interfaith conference May 18, 2000, in Chicago, Illinois. The conference is a first step in establishing a unique partnership between IAPAC's physician members in 43 countries and communities of faith through which access to life-saving and -enhancing drugs may be expanded to HIV-infected children, women, and men who live in the developing world.
In our role as international convener, IAPAC has helped forge an alliance between Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana; the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative in Houston, Texas; representatives from communities of faith; and pharmaceutical industry officials to launch IAPAC's God Bless the Child in Gaborone, Botswana. In this southern African country, Gabriel Anabwani, MD, and his colleagues at Princess Marina Hospital will spearhead a phase II/III pediatric clinical trial of d4T/ddI/hydroxyurea (HU) supported through God Bless the Child and Bristol-Myers Squibb's Secure the Future philanthropic effort in southern Africa. According to IAPAC member (and trial co-designer) Mark Kline, MD, the trial may provide definitive information on the use of HU in HIV-infected infants and children, address important issues of drug resistance, and offer insight into operational aspects of pediatric HIV clinical research in southern Africa.
My colleagues and I are convinced that God Bless the Child can provide an important connection between communities of individuals who believe in the sanctity of life and who wish to translate their belief into a commitment to reach out to the most vulnerable members of our society. As IAPAC Board of Trustees Chair Allen Freehling said at IAPAC's healthcare resource allocation conference last year in Vienna, Austria, "God Bless the Child is an opportunity for all people who believe that we are interconnected to display our mutual respect for the sanctity of life. We fervently believe that ours is a mandate to accept our responsibility to help children with HIV/AIDS in some tangible material way."
Rabbi Freehling (who is the spiritual leader of University Synagogue in Los Angeles, California) and Bristol-Myers Squibb official Mark Ahn, PhD, pledged the initial support to launch God Bless the Child-Botswana (see November 1999 Journal). Through Secure the Future, Bristol-Myers Squibb agreed to donate two drugs and underwrite both the clinical trial operation at Princess Marina Hospital and medical education through the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative. Communities of faith were challenged to contribute $250,000 to subsidize the purchase of one additional drug required for the landmark pediatric clinical trial--or $500 per child. Rabbi Freehling and his congregation made a donation to kick-off the fundraising drive.
I am confident that on May 18, Chicago's spiritual leaders will emulate the Vienna example and help IAPAC achieve a $250,000 goal that will ensure 500 Botswanan children with HIV/ AIDS may benefit from HIV clinical management options taken for granted in resource-rich settings.
While sobering statistics about the enormity of the pediatric AIDS crisis are enough to prompt action, there is a more fundamental factor driving IAPAC's efforts and collaborations in pediatric AIDS. The word "infant" comes from Latin, meaning "incapable of speech." This lack of speech has often allowed our society to ignore the plight of disadvantaged children who are born into a world of disease, poverty, and isolation. The Universal Declaration on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations in 1959. But declarations are statements of general principles; no government is compelled to carry out principles. The Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations in 1989 and ratified by a great many nations.
This convention enshrined rights which apply equally to all children, and contained the fundamental principle that the best interests of the child should be used as the touchstone for all decisions affecting children's health, well-being, and dignity. Again, as admirable as these principles may be, they only have meaning when they are enforced. The grim reality is that children around the globe live in circumstances of extreme poverty, often are afflicted with preventable life-threatening diseases, including HIV, and have little to no hope of obtaining the care they need to remain alive and healthy.
As an association of healthcare professionals, it is our duty to exercise a clear social conscience, to demonstrate inventiveness in the application of our knowledge, to display courage in addressing issues greater than ourselves, and to be resourceful in bringing people and programs together to effect change. Our focus on pediatric AIDS is justified by the principle encapsulated in a one-sentence quote by former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarksjöld that serves as IAPAC's motto, "To let oneself be bound by a duty from the moment you see it approaching is part of the integrity that alone justifies responsibility."
Our hopes for society's future depend on people like Rabbi Freehling, Dr. Kline, Dr. Ahn, the 100 healthcare professionals who gathered in Rome last year, and the numerous other physicians, religious figures, and industry leaders who will help IAPAC give voice to those who are incapable of speech and, thus, are the most vulnerable members of our global society.
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