Businesses and private investors are increasingly involved in public health issues worldwide. Civil society organizations and experts share their concerns about this in Barcelona this week. Wemos is one of these organizations.
The effects of the ‘marketization’ of health care are visible on a global scale. Wemos is critical when it comes to this development, says Barbara Fienieg (global health advocate) of Wemos. ‘We realize that governments often do not have the funds to fulfil their important duty when it comes to public health. But that does not mean they are not responsible for setting priorities and regulating health care. When large aspects of health care are left to the market, profitability –not public health – becomes a decisive factor.’
Health goals or corporate interests?
As panelist at the Global Workshop on Marketization of Health Care in Barcelona, Barbara discusses how the Netherlands, as donor country, increasingly uses the development budget to advance corporate interests. This leads to the critical question of whether such investments truly contribute to long-term health goals, like improved access to health for the poorer populations. Other panelists also discuss the role of the Worldbank and the British DfID (Department for International Development).
Since November this year, Open Society Foundations is a new partner of Wemos.
Read more about our work on financing for health.
