As the negotiations get underway in Germany, the pressure is mounting on Tony Blair to use his last 24 hours on the world stage to rescue the G8 plans to support African health care.
Thursday 7 June 2007
So far, substantial steps that were needed to move beyond Gleneagles have been replaced by a scramble to recover the ground that was gained in Scotland two years ago.
The backtracking on some of the major commitments from 2005, in particular universal access to appropriate treatement for HIV and AIDS and the pledges to increase aid to developing countries, has revealed the failings of the G8 leaders to deliver on their pledges.
Angela Merkel made backing African health plans a major feature of this G8 but all signs indicate that what's on the table is not going to be the step forward desperately needed. A key Gleneagles commitment on backing African countries to help make healthcare free has been sidelined and the Germans are still pushing their model of social health insurance while ignoring Africa's own health strategy.
"At the moment we're fighting to regain the ground we'd made two years ago. This can't be the G8 that goes down in history of having gone backwards not forwards. This is Tony Blair's last chance on the global stage to turn all the talk into action. Children in Sierra Leone, where the Prime Minister was only last week, can't wait any longer to get the healthcare they need." Matt Phillips, Head of Campaigns at Save the Children.
What we're doing
We are calling on the G8 leaders in their discussions in the next 24 hours to:
- come up with a concrete plan to getting universal access to treatment for HIV and AIDS by 2010
- put in place a roadmap to back African governments to make healthcare free in Africa and strengthen health systems, including making sure there are enough doctors and other health workers
- establish a binding timetable on aid pledges.