PHM-Exch> [PHM News] PHM / MMI Statement to WHO Executive Board on Global strategy and targets for tuberculosis prevention, care and control after 2015

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: David Legge <dlegge at phmovement.org>

Statement to the 134th Session of the WHO Executive Board on agenda item
6.1 Global strategy and targets for tuberculosis prevention, care and
control after 2015 (presented by Chiara Di Girolamo)

We welcome the Global strategy and targets after 2015 and we would like to
comment on a few key issues.

The strategy clearly recognises the role of the social determinants in
shaping the epidemic and asserts that policies for addressing the TB
response have to explicitly deal with human rights, ethics and equity.
However, it will need strong drivers to effectively tackle root causes of
disease spreading and maintenance, including marginalization, exclusion and
detention in refugee camps.

To address social determinants, both a strong human right approach and a
health system structured on Primary Health Care principles are essential.

We urge WHO to work with the UN Human Rights Council to provide support for
public hearings and litigation as appropriate, to use the authority of the
law to advocate for the right to care for TB infected people and the right
to high quality effective treatment and action around social determinants.
TB care needs to be nested in comprehensive PHC so that health care
practitioners are supported as advocates as well as carers.

In target setting, a stronger emphasis is needed on cure rates and access
to treatment. Better data are needed about the kinds of service delivery
systems which are curing people and preventing disease effectively, not
just on how many cases are under treatment.

Moreover, an important set of actions missing from the strategy are those
necessary to overcome barriers to access to diagnostics and medicines
associated with extreme Intellectual Property restrictions and associated
high pricing.

Such actions should foster the full use of TRIPS flexibilities and complete
avoidance of the TRIPS-plus provisions being advanced through bilateral
trade agreements.

Finally, we urge closer links between the implementation of this Strategy
and parallel actions also on the agenda of this EB directed at scaling up
public investments and delink innovation from pricing.

(PHM appreciates the assistance of MSF, TAC and S27 in the development of
this Statement)
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