E-drug: WHO's future role
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Dear E-Drug members
Pardon me if this response to the debate on the WHO's new leadership sounds
a bit strident. But I do think that a lot of us are pussy-footing around
the real issue. By definition, the Essential Drugs agenda will and has a
major contradiction with the pharma. industry. No pious pronouncements from
the latter can detract from this central fact. An industry, which for its
survival and growth, needs much profit from human suffering will always work
at cross-purposes with any agenda feared towards mitigation of human
suffering. This is precisely why national and supra-national regulatory
policies are required to regulate the pharmaceutical industry.
In this context, many of us have watched in dismay the gradual co-option of
the WHO by interests subservient to the Industry. In today's global
dispensation policies regarding the social sector are mere sacrificial lambs
at the altar of the ubiquitious "market". The WHO has ultimately to fall in
line with "hard" "market-driven" bargains struck by the World Bank and
within the portals of the WTO.
I, for one, am not surprised that we have an Industry man sitting in WHO
today. The issue really is, whether it is at all possible for the WHO to
take an independent position on contentious issues -- on IPR for example.
Experiences in the last few years indicate that this is unlikely to happen
in the near future. This does not mean we give up on the WHO, but means that
there should be greater efforts to put pressure on it. I am all for giving
everybody a "fair" chance (one year, five years, ten years, whatever) -- but
do we really believe that an industry man is going to suddenly change its
colours?
Dr.Amit Sen Gupta
Convenor,
National Campaign Committee for Drug Policy
New Delhi
India
ctddsf@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in
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