Cooperating in health

THE first Saarc conference of health ministers held in New Delhi has focused attention on the need for greater cooperation among member countries. Although the health professionals from South Asian states have been working together in sharing their knowledge and experience, there has been little joining of hands at the policy making level. This is anomalous. Their similar health problems and their almost identical socio-economic and environmental conditions which affect the state of health of their people should have prompted Saarc members to act much earlier. The organization’s charter spells out its goal to be cooperation in various fields to “accelerate the process of economic and social development”. Obviously, concern for public welfare and the quality of human life has been relegated to the backburner as politics, especially the India-Pakistan conflict, has swept everything else aside.

The scope that exists for cooperation in the health sector was underlined at the New Delhi conference which specifically voiced concern at the WTO patent regime. It is feared that when it comes into effect in January 2005 the patent system will lead to a significant rise in the cost of medicines in the Third World. The Saarc conference also called on the members to pool their medical resources and recognize each other’s health needs. These two issues are closely interrelated and it is a positive development that the South Asians are now beginning to realize the need for cooperation in this field. The challenges to be posed by WTO’s patent system can be overcome by the developing countries if they work together and pool their expertise, especially in the field of pharmaceuticals which will be affected. With the patent period being extended by 20 years and the processes as well as products being protected, the multinational drug manufacturers’ clout will grow further. They will raise the prices of drugs on the plea of covering the cost of research.

This development can be preempted to a great extent by Saarc states jointly promoting research and the manufacture of drugs. They can optimize their efforts by concentrating on medicines for the treatment of diseases common in South Asia. India has a pharmaceutical industry which is more advanced than that of any of its neighbours. Bangladesh has successfully evolved a health system which seeks to produce essential drugs at a low cost to make them accessible to the common man. These countries can share their experience with their neighbours and even help evolve a common policy which would enable them to counter the manipulative tactics of the drug giants.

This would, however, be possible if Saarc institutionalizes its cooperation in the health sector. This should involve joint research, with each member identifying areas of study to avoid duplication. If optimum benefit is to be derived from such projects, it is important that exchange of health professionals, researchers and medical students is freely encouraged. This offers another advantage. Saarc countries can thus protect their centuries old traditional medical systems. Rather than allowing them to be harmed by exploiters posing as healers, the South Asian countries should work to develop on modern and scientific lines their systems of alternative medicine before they are snatched away by the drug manufacturers in the West and patented by them under WTO’s Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property.

Humanitarian crisis

A UN Human Rights Commission report on the food situation in Israeli-occupied territories says that Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are “on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe.” The report is based on surveys conducted in the occupied territories by UN and US-based relief agencies. It claims that since the closure of borders with Israel and imposition of curfews by the occupying forces, the majority of Palestinians have been forced to survive on one frugal meal a day that often comprises only bread and tea. The report says that the Palestinians are now wholly dependent on international food programmes for survival. This is largely because acres upon acres of Palestinian agricultural land have been confiscated by Israeli forces as a collective punishment for the continuation of the on-going second Intifada. Additional agricultural land has also been appropriated to build the eight-metre high and 640km-long security wall around the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Criticizing the Israeli policy of border closures, which prevents up to 400,000 Palestinians from going to work in Israel, the Swiss author of the UN report, Jean Ziegler, has described the Palestinians’ plight as a “horrifying tragedy.”

The report in question is only one in a series of indictments the UN and relief agencies have made against Israel’s brutal policy of occupation. Under international law, it is the responsibility of the occupying power to provide food, shelter and adequate means of livelihood to civilian populations that become victims of conflict. But, unfortunately, the world community has long ignored Israel’s repeated violations of all such laws, just as it has chosen to turn a blind eye to the civilian suffering in Iraq under occupation. It is such calculated lapses of conscience on the part of the West which fuel popular resentment against western governments across the Arab and Muslim world. This is at the root of the growing problem of terrorism facing the world today.

Cotton relief package

FEDERAL Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan has said that the government is considering various measures to help mitigate the losses of cotton growers caused by the recent widespread pest attack in Punjab. A package is also being finalized to offset the impact of the sudden rise in cotton prices in the market. The main brunt of the problems created by the pest attack has been borne by exporters, who suffered as a result of the rise in the cost of their exports, making them uncompetitive in the international market and affecting the exporters’ profit margins. While it is encouraging to know that the government now wants to help these two groups, corrective steps should also be taken that can be sustained on a long term basis, instead of for only this year. Decisions should not be taken in isolation and should address all aspects of the cotton sector.

First of all, it is time the government had a policy for proper import, distribution and use of agricultural inputs like seed, fertilizer and pesticide. Growers have alleged that irregular supplies of pesticides as well as adulteration and poor quality of these played a crucial role in this year’s pest attack. The government should also discourage the introduction of non-approved seed varieties. While in some years these varieties do well, at other times, as in the present case, they tend to be more vulnerable to pest attacks. A vigilant eye must be kept on the local cotton market to stop any distortions from affecting the price level. Last month there was a steep rise in cotton prices as a result of speculative activity in addition to perceived crop shortfalls, and this only made matters worse. Finally, a package for exporters is vital if they are to raise their overseas sales in the future. The incentives for this can be in various forms. The bottom line is that they should be sufficiently encouraged to fulfil their orders for this year and increase their future targets.