[e-drug] AIM: International Association of Mutual Health Funds

[seco_gerard@bi.msf.org]

E-drug: AIM: International Association of Mutual Health Funds
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AIM: Association Internationale de la Mutualité
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PRESS RELEASE

AIM calls for political commitment to preserve general interest in health 
care
in the face of world trade and liberalisation.

AIM, the international association of mutual health funds, at its last 
meeting
on March 20th 2001 in Montevideo (Uruguay), adopted a Declaration on
globalisation and health care. In this declaration, AIM wishes to draw 
attention
to the possible impact of the globalising economy on the health care 
sector.

While underlining the specific and universal character of health, the
declaration warns for a complete deregulation in the field of health care.
Health care services and medical goods can not be regarded as ordinary
commercial commodities that can fully rely on market forces.

The legal actions undertaken against initiatives in South-Africa and Brasil 
to
make essential antiretroviral medicines for the treatment of HIV and AIDS
available at a wider scale, have made the public opinion aware of the fact 
that
world trade and liberalisation of the economy are not necessarily serving 
the
interests of the citizens. Since resources, knowledge as well as health 
risks
are inequally distributed among as within countries, AIM calls for a 
political
commitment to carefully balance free trade aspects with other, equivalent,
non-commercial principles such as solidarity, equity, quality. Access to 
good
quality health care for all, irrespective of income or health status, is to 
be
considered as a fundamental political objective of general interest, taking 
precedence of private commercial interests.

With this declaration, AIM wants to point out that this question does not 
only
divide between the north and the south. Inconsiderate liberalisation and
complete deregulation in health care could make all health systems less
effective, more costly and less equitable. Solidarity-based health 
protection
systems in high income countries are also placed before the considerable
challenge of bringing new, highly expensive medicinal therapies and 
technologies
within the reach of all, while maintaining solidarity in an ageing society 
and
preserving cost and quality control.

Therefore AIM calls for:

  a.. an accurate and critical assessment of WTO's impact on health and 
social policy;
  b.. the integration into WTO agreements of the concept of general 
interest as safeguard for social and other public concerns;
  c.. a more critical assessment of real innovation in medicine on which 
intellectual property protection is built, leaving more room for generic 
competition;
  d.. the establishing of an independent fundamental research fund on rare 
and neglected diseases;
  e.. the re-affirming of the fundamental principle of non-appropriation of 
elements of the human body.

In conclusion, AIM considers a high level of health and social protection 
as the
corner stones for economic productivity, as an investment rather than a 
cost for
the economy.

* * *
The Declaration on globalisation and health care can be downloaded from the 
AIM
web site http://www.aim-mutual.org

Seco Gerard
MSF
seco_gerard@bi.msf.org

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