Discussing the big issues 

IMPORTANT DECISIONS: Experts asked governments to take action  CREDIT: World Health Summit, on Flickr 

The World Health Summit in Berlin has requested governments make difficult decisions surrounding health and climate change. Three important health issues require political decisions to tackle the consequences of global warming, universal coverage and inequality of access to technology.  

More than 2.400 assistants debated these main issues of interest in the 10 anniversary of the Summit. The German capital has become a reference point for discussing health and medicine. It’s a rare occurrence to see so many investigators rubbing shoulders with politicians, academics, pharmaceutical companies and NGOs.  

President of the international summit explained that public health is an ample subject as it is open and multicultural. The World Health Summit looks to find solutions for worldwide health issues.  

For people to be able to access technology needed for medical procedures, doctors and campaigners are aware that political decisions are necessary. The director for the World Health Organisation highlighted that there has never been a better time to work together and transform the health system and care of millions of people.  

International group -M8 Alliance- receives collaboration from 28 investigation centres and universities from 19 countries. They called upon governments to consider health issues a priority in their political agendas. The group considers that with population in constant movement and an ever-increasing interconnected world, it isn’t viable for each country to take individual approaches. M8 Alliance assured the Summit that science and health don’t have geographical borders.  

Climate change and its consequences for health was heavily discussed, as well as the fact that half the world population doesn’t have access to health care. Each year 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty by medical costs and limited resources.  

Investigators and high charges believe that efficient governments will prioritise measures that actually save lives and also reduce the consumption of unhealthy products like cigarettes with taxes. Attendants were in agreeance that countries should start making the hard decisions of prioritising what matters.  

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Shirin Aguiar

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