“Health is a fundamental human right, it is not a luxury. “, at the opening of the World Health Summit in Berlin, the WHO Director-General recalled his vision on access to care. This year his organization is more than a sponsor, he is co-organizing this summit with France, Senegal and Germany which also hosts the event.
“What does it mean to take global health to the next level? A new global agreement, a new global architecture and a new global approach. Because health is not a cost. It is an investment. It is not simply a development result, but a means. “, hammered Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Sunday 16 October.
From 16 to 18 October, the World Health Summit brings together actors from the public and private spheres, including 300 speakers. Host of this summit, Germany has promised to invest 35 million euros in the eradication of childhood polio, a highly contagious disease that still circulates in some regions of the world.
“The German government will continue to actively support research motivated by scientific curiosity, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured, To this end, the Pact for Research and Innovation is being implemented, as well as our commitment to further increase funding for research and development to reach 3.5% of gross national product by 2025 “.
On Sunday, October 16, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also announced an envelope of over 1.2 billion euros to help eliminate polio completely for which a vaccine already exists but whose revival is still threatened.
Two years after the onset of the global health crisis of covid-19, the summit focuses on preparing for and fighting communicable diseases such as Covid-19 and polio, but also others such as cancer, supporting better communication of global health.
In his pre-recorded speech, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the summit to “move from alarm to action. And let’s build the strongest health systems that every person deserves.”
