CFD In The News

Lancet: Dozens of nations inflated vaccine numbers Associated Press, December 12, 2008 IPN's Philip Stevens comments to the Associated Press on the news that dozens of developing countries exaggerated figures on how many children were vaccinated against diseases. more....

On World AIDS Day, some experts suggest AIDS is hogging world attention and budgets Associated Press, December 01, 2008 A growing number of experts believe that the current dominance of AIDS is undermining the fight against other equally pressing diseases. more....

Resistance to ARVS rising among patients New Vision (Uganda), December 01, 2008 In their rush to achieve universal access to ARVs, agencies such as WHO and the Global Fund have failed to adhere to the highest standards of patient care. This could prove very costly in the years ahead. more....

Making Sense of the Health Care "Brain Drain" Free Market Foundation, South Africa, November 28, 2008 South Africa’s chronic shortage of skilled health care professionals continues unabated and the situation worsens by the day. Why, then, does the Department of Health limit the number of foreign health professionals entering SA? more....

The EU's nasty bite Campaign for Fighitng Diseases, November 28, 2008 The European Union’s proposed pesticides regulations are an unexploded bomb under global anti-malaria efforts. more....

'Made in China' proving bad for health Bangkok Post, Thailand, November 10, 2008 Recent food and drug scandals in China show that the some of country's manufacturers have a serious problem with quality. Improvements will only come if government control is removed from the press and legal system. more....

Great Idea, Bad Scheme The Daily Times, Malawi, November 07, 2008 The Global Fund's new attempt to bring affordable medicines to malaria victims seems wonderful in theory—but there are better ways to spend this money, and author Roger Bate has concerns about the programme spreading substandard drugs. more....

É o Estado o melhor provedor de saúde? Correio do Povo, Brazil, October 09, 2008 Embora seja geralmente aceito quo o melhor caminho para garantir a prosperidade econômica é permitira operação de mercados livres, presume-se que o provsionamento da saúde seja importante demais para deixaraos caprichos do mercado. more....

Maior acesso passa por liberalização econômica Jornal do Comércio, Brazil, October 08, 2008 Organizador do livro O Combate às Doenças da Pobreza, o economista Philip Stevens esteve ontem em Porto Alegre para o lançamento da obra traduzida para o português. Em uma rápida entrevista ao Jornal do Comércio, o inglês defendeu a liberalização da economia como forma de ampliar o acesso aos medicamentos importados. more....

Regulating drug prices is a recipe for disaster Health Policy Unit, South Africa, October 03, 2008 Price caps on drugs--based on the 'benchmarking' of other price caps--deter companies supplying new drugs and discourage R&D. This is the argument from Brett J. Skinner, writing as the South African government introduces its potentially harmful price regulations. more....

Good move on bad drugs: the Ranbaxy scandal Bangkok Post, Thailand, October 03, 2008 Following his paper on drug quality, Roger Bate analyses the FDA investigations into Indian drug company Ranbaxy. While the FDA is looking out for American consumers’ interest, Bate stresses that similar protection must be granted to impoverished people, particularly in Africa. more....

Killing with kindness Business Daily, Kenya, September 30, 2008 As "world leaders" congratulate themselves over $3 billion pledged to the re-branded Global Malaria Action Plan, two authors question whether this really is the most effective means of relieving Africa from the disease. more....

The WHO blueprint for increasing global poverty South China Morning Post, August 31, 2008 The WHO's report on the "social determinants of health" claims that inequality is responsible for huge numbers of deaths worldwide. But by rejecting economic growth, its recommendations would do far more harm than good. more....

Environment and health: keep it real ModernGhana, August 27, 2008 Ministers gathering in Libreville for the first African ministerial on environment and health should avoid getting distracted by ill-defined and nebulous problems like "climate change" and focus on the real environment alkillers: dirty water and fuel. more....

Away with Political Correctness The Daily Nation, Kenya, August 13, 2008 Professor James Chin argues that instead of spending billions of dollars "preventing" a general pandemic that is never going to happen, efforts should be focussed on helping the people at most risk from HIV / AIDS. more....

‘Romantic’ Aids cause diverts needed funds South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, August 05, 2008 Professor Karol Sikora, advisor to the British government and World Health Organization, explains how the politicisation of diseases such as AIDS distorts funding and harms the poor. more....

It’s time to dismantle UNAids Business Daily, Kenya, August 04, 2008 Roger England explains why he is a candidate to be the new Executive Director of UNAIDS, calling for the constructive dismantling of the organisation. more....

Trusting the African private sector with aid Taipei Times, Taiwan, July 03, 2008 Ahead of the G8 summit in Hokkaido, the usual merry-go-round is in process consisting of calls for greater aid, grandiose speaches, reports of failings, then further calls for even more aid. Fortunately the growing involvement of private sector organisations is providing hope for more efficient and effective health outcomes. more....

Conceptualizing approaches to trading in health Taipei Times, Taiwan, June 24, 2008 The benefits of trade have for too long been driven away from healthcare by ring-fenced nationalised systems and vested interests. Now evidence suggests that trade can slow the rise in healthcare costs and be a valuable source of revenue for developing countries. more....

How surveys twist rankings on health care Providence Journal, USA, June 11, 2008 Proponents of nationalised healthcare systems frequently refer to the WHO ranking the US system a lowly 37th in the world. Yet how reliable are these rankings? Glen Whitman reveals their faults and underlying, ideological bias. more....

Threat of world Aids pandemic among heterosexuals is over, report admits The Independent on Sunday, UK, June 08, 2008 Following Professor Jim Chin's exposure of the myths disseminated by UNAIDS, the World Health Organization has admitted that there is no threat of a global heterosexual pandemic. more....

Getting The Message: Good news on treatment. Bad news on propaganda. Economist, UK, June 05, 2008 Ahead of the 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico, UNAIDS is accused of the misdirection of funds and failing to match policies with correct epidemiological data. more....

UN’s Russian roulette for poor patients Daily Star, Egypt, May 26, 2008 Sub-standard AIDS and malaria drugs can cause parasite resistance and clinical failure. Yet the Global Fund has been procuring such drugs for millions of low-income patients. more....

SA should avoid Britain’s public health mistakes Business Day, South Africa, May 19, 2008 The South African government is hoping to create a 'universal' health system by imposing increasingly onerous regulations on the private sector. Evidence from Britain's health system shows this is doomed to failure. more....

Myths behind AIDS might lead to billions in misspending China Post, Taiwan, May 18, 2008 UNAIDS has systematically perpetuated myths about the nature and scope of the AIDS pandemic. As a result, many billions of dollars have been wasted on prevention programmes that have no basis in science. more....

Malaria: poor drugs for poor people Globe and Mail, Canada, May 16, 2008 New field research shows that a third of anti-malaria drugs collected in six African cities fail at least one quality test, and aid agencies continue to fund untested, substandard drugs. The World Health Organization suggests that one-fifth of the approximately one million children who die every year from malaria die because of substandard and poorly prescribed medicines. This is poor medicine for poor people. more....

Malaria keeps killing millions The Sowetan, South Africa, May 15, 2008 Fake and substandard drugs produced by unscrupulous manufacturers is a real worry. more....

A 'malaria day' resolution The American, April 23, 2008 Rolling back the insect-borne disease will require better coordination between aid agencies and private companies. more....

Ending the failing approach to healthcare The Nation, Nigeria, February 08, 2008 Despite massive increases of donor funding for health in Africa, things on the ground are not improving. It's time to examine new methods of delivering healthcare in Africa, says Nigerian analyst Thompson Ayodele. more....

Hot air and human health China Post, December 13, 2007 The cost of cutting greenhouse gas emissions would have drastic implications for human health, causing worldwide recession. If the WHO is serious about improving the health of the poor, it should stop trying to push emissions caps and focus on the real barriers to good health. more....

Spare Africa the medicine of the new colonisers Business Day, South Africa, October 10, 2007 Unaccountable western NGOs have great influence over the health policies of African governments. The only problem is, they normally get things wrong. more....

Latest Reports

»	O COMBATE ÀS DOENÇAS DA POBREZA October 01, 2008 more....
»	G8 should abandon current model of aid for health July 03, 2008 Too much foreign aid for health fails to reach those in need, instead falling prey to corruption, mismanagement and waste. By involving private organisations and outcome-based contracts these failings can be overcome, argues Philip Stevens in a new report. more....
»	The myth of a "general" AIDS pandemic May 27, 2008 Leading epidemiologist Professor Jim Chin explains how the exaggeration of a 'general' AIDS pandemic by UNAIDS has resulted in billions of dollars of unnecessary and misdirected spending. more....
»	Trouble in the Ranks: How the World Health Organization unfairly evaluates national health care systems May 14, 2008 The World Health Organization's health systems rankings influence health reforms all over the world. The rankings are a supposedly impartial guide to the relative performance of global health systems, but this new study shows them to be statistically dubious, misleading and ideologically biased towards taxpayer-funded systems. more....
»	Local pharmaceutical production in developing countries: How economic protectionism undermines access to quality medicines February 01, 2008 Donors are urging African governments to support local pharmaceutical production, in order to reduce costs and boost local scientific capacity. However, in many cases it may save money to follow the laws of economics and import drugs from countries that specialise in drug production. Using public monies to prop up local pharma companies, moreover, can encourage corruption and undermine the supply of safe, effective drugs. more....
»	On the trail of a cure: reality and rhetoric on treating malaria April 02, 2007 Despite a record level of philanthropic and multilateral funding for malaria, there are still significant problems in the procurement and delivery of malaria drugs. These easily solvable problems are undermining the effectiveness of donor funding. more....
»	Fighting the diseases of poverty March 21, 2007 How does economic globalisation affect health? Why is access to medicines in many poor countries so low? Why, despite recored levels of spending, are intergovernmental efforts to fight disease so ineffectual? These questions and others are addressed in this new book. more....
»	Counterfeit Medicines in Less Developed Countries: Problems and solutions May 03, 2006 This paper from the CFD examines the scale and scope of drug counterfeiting in lower income countries and suggests some strategies which would help limit their manufacture and supply. Pulsar aquí para leer la versión en Castellano. more....