WHO is responsible for poor health of the world’s Poor

Next week, there will be a World Health Organization conference in Geneva on the subject of how to boost access to medicine among the world’s poor. Specifically, the WHO’s Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG) will meet from Nov. 5 - 10 to Develop a plan of action.

Many (governments and anti-development NGOs) are saying that the solution lies in weakening intellectual property rights — and are calling upon the WHO to encourage developing nations to issue compulsory licenses—essentially stealing medical inventions from western companies.


My discussions with the Ghanaian Minister of Health this week on Ghana’s position, revealed a rare sensible position- that breaking patents have the effect of weakening Africa’s ability to protect its medical breakthroughs in the future.

The Ghanaian Health Minister understands that while differential pricing of medicines will be a good way out for Africa, he knows patents are just a part of the solution- weak healthcare infrastructure, inadequate health insurance schemes, inadequate health professionals, price controls, taxes and tariffs on medicines (33% in the case of Ghana) and corruption are the real barriers to health care in Africa.

Refreshingly, his position is at variance with the African Group position in the IGWG, which is blindly being led by Kenya championing the overly rehearsed chorus that patents put profits before people. We at IMANI will respond appropriately if the WHO’s meeting maintains a perverted view on the poor’s health.