Initiatives on Malaria ... (9)
------------------------------
Source: <malaria@wehi.edu.au>
Christian Lengeler wrote:
In the case of insecticide-treated nets, which are commercial goods
rather than medical products, we should rely much more on the private
sector. A light infrastructure has then to be built up at national
level to keep the distribution moving. A useful model exists with
condom social marketing projects. Our own experience from the KINET
project in Tanzania is that this is a much more functional and effi-
cient system.
I have discussed this general concept with Duke Zimmerman (Rotary
Against Malaria) for several years. The public sector gets more funding
if the problem worsens (look at WHO's priority list of countries). In
the private sector, the market will pay only for what works. This is
one of the principles behind the "invisible hand" that guides the use
of capital towards useful efficiency in capitalism, as originally de-
scribed by Adam Smith and championed more recently by Milton Freedman,
Rand, and Reagan. This principle has largely been ignored by interna-
tional public health specialists and by governments of developing coun-
tries. Rapid steps that most countries could do include lowering taxes,
tariffs, and restrictions on imports regarding public health (drugs,
diagnostics, vaccines), and to allow reasonable profit margins, to help
stimulate effective product development and introduction by the private
sector.
Gerald McLaughlin, Ph.D.
Dept Pathology and Lab Med
635 Barnhill Dr.,
MS A128 Indianapolis, IN 46202-5120, USA
Tel: +1-317-274-2651
mailto:gmclaugh@iupui.edu
--
Send mail for the `AFRO-NETS' conference to `afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.