LOCAL HIV and Aids healthcare organisation, Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Zimbabwe, has joined calls for the urgent strengthening of the global pact to help fight pandemics ahead of the final agreement later this month.
AHF is a global non-profit organisation providing high-quality HIV care and services to those in need in 47 countries.
In 2016, AHF and the Health and Child Care ministry signed a memorandum of understanding to implement programmes aimed at supporting the national health strategy through various aspects of HIV and Aids prevention, treatment care and community services.
Representatives from the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 194 member states have been negotiating for a new legally-binding instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
However, there have been differences during the negotiating process, especially around equity, pharmaceutical interests, accountability and enforcement as well as civil society involvement.
“AHF is worried about the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which has become weaker during negotiations and lacks accountability,” said AHF country director Ernest Chikwati.
“The latest version of the agreement is filled with empty promises and lacks the power needed to make sure everyone has fair access to health resources during pandemics.
“Developed countries are protecting drug companies instead of focusing on making sure everyone has access to healthcare pandemics.”
Chikwati also said civil society groups, like charities and community organisations should have a bigger role in making sure the agreement is fair and effective.”
Sandra Bote, AHF Zimbabwe national medical director, said there was a need to ensure equity, thus countries must have access to the technical, financial, and technological resources they require to achieve compliance under the agreement.
“The word equity appears nine times in the October negotiating text, including as a guiding principle of the whole treaty,” she said.
“But in reality, Article 12 stipulates that WHO would have access to only 20% of “pandemic-related products for distribution based on public health risks and needs.
“The other 80% — whether vaccines, treatments, or diagnostics — would be prey to the international scramble seen in Covid-19 that saw vital health technologies sold to the highest bidder.
“Most of the world’s population lives in countries that might not be able to afford these products, but 20% seems to be all that high-income countries were willing to agree to.
“It appears like the developed nations have vehemently defended the private interest of pharmaceutical companies over the collective common interest of achieving global health security in a sustainable and equitable manner.”
Bote said there was also a need for strong rules that make sure countries follow the agreement and prepare for future pandemics.
“In order to receive maximum political attention heads of state should have been involved in pandemic governance, which was not the case.”
She said the global pact should come clear so the global community can tackle disinformation when a pandemic strikes.
“There was a lot of disinformation going around during the Covid-19 outbreak and we feel there is a need for the pandemic agreement to have mechanisms of dealing with disinformation,” Bote said.
Chikwati said his organisation was not alone in this call for strengthening the global treaty.
“We have other organisations like Lancet that are voicing significant concerns about the proposed pandemic agreement,” he said.