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Campaigns We Endorse! Political, social and economic issues go hand in hand with public health and communicable disease, perhaps with more dire consequences in the tropics and sub-tropics than anywhere else in the world. The tropical world is home to some of the poorest countries on earth, some of the most neglected diseases in medicine and conditions in the field often make the job of health care professionals even more difficult - and yet 40% of the world's population live in the tropics, a figure that grows every year. Every person in every field can contribute to the campaigns that seek to relieve some of these difficulties. Whether through direct involvement, charitable donation, political pressure or simply spreading the word and raising awareness, every member of TropSoc can aid these causes we endorse and it is important that students interested in tropical medicine and working in the field understand the many factors at play in painting the bigger picture of health in the develop world. These are the campaigns we formally endorse, if you believe we should be promoting another specific cause, please get in touch! The Patent Pool
What happens when an HIV+ patient living in Britain and covered by the NHS is told their initial treatment has failed? In developing countries there is access to new, more expensive alternatives. For a similar patient in sub-saharran Africa or India, those drugs may be simply too expensive, and HIV for them is once again a death sentence. When a pharmaceutical company develops a new drug they take out a 20 year patent preventing the production of any cheaper generic versions, restricting access to essential treatments to only the most privileged. However, there is a solution: a patent pool. In a patent pool drug companies share their drug patents with the pool, so they still get their royalties, but at the same time other companies can get hold of these patents to make cheaper drugs. Everyone wins. Competition between different companies is the best way to make drugs more affordable. You can make sure competition happens by using the law to limit or overcome the barriers that stand in the way of generic competition; companies can also help build a new way to create drugs at affordable prices: by participating in the patent pool. Right now, there is a patent pool in the making. The international drug financing agency, UNITAID, is working on making it a reality. But for it to work, we need the pharmaceutical industry to play ball. To find out more about the UNITAID patent pool and how to support it, click here.
Médecins Sans Frontièrs
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 70 countries. In countries where health structures are insufficient or even non-existant, MSF collaborates with authorities such as the Ministry of Health to provide assistance. MSF works in rehabilitation of hospitals and dispensaries, vaccination programmes and water and sanitation projects. MSF also works in remote health care centres, slum areas and provides training of local personnel. All this is done with the objective of rebuilding health structures to acceptable levels. In carrying out humanitarian assistance, MSF seeks also to raise awareness of crisis situations; MSF acts as a witness and will speak out, either in private or in public about the plight of populations in danger for whom MSF works. In doing so, MSF sets out to alleviate human suffering, to protect life and health and to restore and ensure respect for the human beings and their fundamental human rights. Only a small percentage of the populations that find themselves in a situation of danger gain the attention of the media. MSF teams travel to places that many people have never heard of, to assist those who have fallen victim to natural or man-made disasters. MSF volunteers have a story to tell when they return from their missions, and they use their experiences to speak of what they have seen. For MSF, raising awareness for these populations and the situations they are in is an important task. Whenever possible, MSF volunteers give interviews and make presentations. MSF offices worldwide facilitate the organisation of gatherings, for individuals and groups who want to speak in their home communities. MSF also mounts exhibitions and, from time to time, releases publications, with the aim of raising awareness. The vast majority of financial support MSF receives is from charitable donations. Every penny helps, so if you would like to donate to MSF please click here. For more information of working with MSF and other NGOs in the field, please visit out Careers page.
Medsin Medsin is a network of students with an interest in health, there are branches at universities across the UK. Medsin's activities aim to promote health as well as to act upon and educate students about health inequalities in our local and global communities. Medsin consists of branches, projects, campaigns and events. They work together in the network to actively make a difference on a local, national or international level, or to raise awareness of global health issues. Medsin is the UK member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations, the IFMSA. Formed in 1951, the IFMSA has now grown to represent 91 countries and is an official partner of the World Health Organisation. There are Medsin branches in almost every medical school in the UK, but Medsin is not only for medics. Medsin's campaigns bring together students to work on a particular issues related to global health. Medsin holds two conferences a year - the National Conference and the Global Health Conference. Here Medsin members meet to discuss issues of health inequality and global health in the UK and overseas. For more information on how to get involved with Medsin, click here, and to find your nearest Medsin branch, click here!
Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative Despite major advances in drug development in recent decades, essential medicines to treat many diseases that affect the world’s poor are either too expensive, no longer produced, highly toxic, or ineffective. Recognising these issues from its field experience, Médecins Sans Frontières committed its 1999 Nobel Peace Prize funds to develop an alternative model for the research and development (R&D) of new drugs for neglected diseases. The DNDi, or Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative, was formed to raise awareness of these diseases and help improve access to treatment for those who suffer them and encourage development of new pharmaceuticals to tackle them. Acting in the public interest, DNDi bridges the existing R&D gaps in essential drugs for these diseases by initiating and coordinating drug R&D projects in collaboration with the international research community, the public sector, the pharmaceutical industry, and other relevant partners. The initiative’s primary objective is to deliver six to eight new treatments by 2014 for these diseases and to establish a strong R&D portfolio. In doing so, DNDi is also working to use and strengthen existing capacities in disease-endemic countries, and raise awareness and advocate for the need to develop new treatments for the most neglected diseases. DNDi is based in Geneva with a team of 30 permanent scientific researchers and various professionals. The organization has an affiliate in North America along with 4 regional support offices in Kenya, India, Brazil, and Malaysia; and 2 regional project support offices in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Japan. The DNDi benefits from every penny donated to their cause, click here to pledge your financial support, no matter how small. Neglected diseases also suffer from a lack of public awareness, so you can help by spreading knowledge of these disease within and outside your TropSoc society.
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