European Parliament resolution on health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa and global health
During the plenary session of the European Parliament on 7 October 2010, MEPs adopted the De Keyser report on health care systems in Sub-Saharan Africa by 328 votes in favour, 183 against and 24 abstentions.
This report states the necessity to have both vertical funds to tackle specific diseases and a horizontal approach to strengthen health systems. The solution is a "diagonal approach", which shares aid between fighting specific diseases and consolidating health care systems, says the resolution.
"The report calls on the European Union to make the most of the potential offered by mutual health organisations in Africa and to support the many existing initiatives. But in order to be feasible, these initiatives need perennial infrastructures of basic health- such as hospitals, clinics and access to the medicine, as well as qualified personnel. We therefore call on the Commission to reinforce its assistance on this matter and to ensure greater coherence in external relations policies", said rapporteur Véronique De Keyser (S&D, BE).
Research, vaccination, and prevention results have been remarkable, but have had the perverse effect of weakening support for "horizontal", or basic, health systems. The resolution therefore calls for a "diagonal approach", whereby aid is allocated partly to consolidating health care systems and partly to fighting specific diseases through the "vertical" health funds.
