26.02.2003 Breaking the Cycle: Poor Health - Poor Environment - Poverty
Workshop organized by Legambiente and the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)
25th January 2003 WSF Porto Alegre Brazil
Contact:Mathew Ngunga (mathewn@amrefhq.org )
Declaration
As a result of discussion among the workshop participants the following resolutions were agreed upon:
1. That as a matter of urgency, the WSF needs to consider including health in its mainstream agenda.
2. Existing evidence points to the fact that economic growth does not necessarily result in improved health status particularly among the poor communities in Africa. What is evident though is the fact that good health contributes directly to social and economic development. In this regard, we call upon African governments therefore, to give health the attention it deserves by allocating sufficient resources to health development.
3. African governments should further ensure that they utilize existing expenditure; to reflect quality, efficiency and effectiveness, to match health needs to health interventions.
4. In addition, African governments should lobby against patent laws that inhibit access to and availability of essential drugs.
5. Ethics is prevalent in all aspects of development. In this regard, it is important that as a matter of ethics it be recognized that the life of an African is the same as that of any other human being and therefore should have access to the proper and decent health care.
6. On the issue of gender, the WSF should recognize that improved health of women should be made a priority with provision of the relevant reproductive health services.
updated on 09/09/2010
