Global public health | More money than sense | Economist.com:
"THE money is there. So why is it not being spent? That is the big puzzle about the rich world's efforts to improve health in poor countries. In June the leaders of the G8 (the big industrialised democracies plus Russia) promised up to $8 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an umbrella group co-ordinating health aid. The Global Fund closed its latest round of funding applications this week but much of the money committed remains unused (see chart)."
Comment: The article raises the question about the absorptive capacity of developing nations' health systems. One might also raise the issue of the sustainability of the systems built by foreign donors in the long run; will that funding always be there, and if not will the nations themselves take over the responsibility.
Even more of concern is whether the disease campaigns supported by these donors will divert scarce human and organizational resources from efforts that would be more beneficial. JAD
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