"Reflections on the Ebola crisis"?

In a statement made on Monday, January 25th, People's Health Movement and Medicus Mundi International reminded the Executive Board members of the flaws in WHO's response to the Ebola crisis were largely due to their reluctance to fund emergency preparedness responses. They deplored that some wealthy member states (MS) were slow to volunteer healthcare resources to assist in the crisis.

This crisis has revealed yet again the failure of market forces in driving innovation for global health rather than corporate profit. It demonstrated the importance of strong and resilient health systems in managing emergencies.

PHM and MMI urged the MS’s of the WHO to work towards a binding Research & Development treaty to mobilise funding for health products' innovation and to direct such funding according to needs rather than the expectation of profit.

PHM and UAEM activists are at the EB 138 as part of PHM's WHO watch initiative. You can follow the watching here.