http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=5590&cat=press-release
G20 leaders are coming together at the G20 Summit in Cannes to discuss major global issues. As healthcare becomes a increasingly large issue, it is only appropriate that a discussion on international healthcare funding was opened. The financial transaction tax that was discussed is a tax on the financial sectors of the nation in order to raise money for healthcare resources. According to Doctors Without Borders, if this just a percentage of this tax was allocated towards global health initiatives, millions of lives could be saved. We realize by now that sometimes, the smallest interventions can matter the most and change the most in the smallest amount of time. For instance, in 2009, 370,000 children were newly infected with HIV, most of them by their own mothers at birth. It only costs $40 to pay for antiretroviral medicine needed as prophylaxis, or preventative medicine, to prevent 98% of mother to child HIV infection.
However, this week, the G20 has refused to endorse the financial transaction tax. Many of the G20 nations worry about the burden this tax would put on their already stressed economy and banks. This tax's implementation would mean there would be a steady source of money for international healthcare initiatives, instead of relying on donations from private sectors and committed amounts from countries that health aid groups may not receive in full. With a steady flow of funds, international aid groups would have to worry less about allocating funds because they don't have enough and could focus on getting help where it is needed. It would appear that developed nations are still too independent and may not realize the severity and importance of global health; they still do not realize the impact that poor and underdeveloped global health can have across the entire world. We are no longer isolated. Even though the G20 isn't backing the financial transaction tax, Nicolas Sarkozy and Bill Gates are not giving up. Many like them do realize that this tax could have been a game-changer for international health. Sarkozy has said that he will continue to push for the tax.
It is fact that economic situation of the world is not too good that even developed countries are having hard time economically. However, international health issues are place where we need to keep care about despite the current economic crisis. As we have learned, health issues become a even bigger problem and cost more if we miss the time to solve the problem. If we do not care about these issues, it will come to us with much bigger and costly problem in the future. It will also effect developed countries in the future that it will not only effect developing countries.
ReplyDeleteIt is not difficult to understand why the G20 leaders have refused to endorse the financial transaction tax. It is the same all over the world, throughout all of history – the wealthy are unwilling to give up their wealth to help the poor (of course, this isn’t true for everyone but in the main it is). What people don’t realise is the terrible conditions people are living with on a daily basis. The privation that is a part of their lives is horrible. What is important is that sacrificing a little on our end means a huge thing for the them (a disproportionately huge positive increase).
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