4081.0: Tuesday, October 23, 2001: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM

Panel Discussion Session

Macroeconomics, Politics, and Public Health

Macroeconomics and political concerns impact global health more than most public health professionals realize. Economic policies of individual countries and multilateral institutions can have a significant impact on population health among developing countries. Inequalities in wealth lead to inequities in health care and disease prevention, and subsequently create unacceptable health burdens and economic devastation for the people in those countries. Economies weakened by adverse health conditions destabilize global security. Therefore action is necessary at the political and development agency level to reduce future costs for humanitarian and development assistance. The recent “Consensus Statement on Antiretroviral Treatment for AIDS in Poor Countries” proposes a blueprint for wealthy countries, in partnership with poor countries, to make life-prolonging therapies available in the most affected areas of the world. In this session, speakers will discuss the development approach to health, the role of the United States in helping to set and finance global health priorities, and the responsibility of partner countries to structure an appropriate environment to utilize development assistance. Current groundbreaking efforts to address the global calamity of AIDS in the world’s poorest countries will provide the basis for discussion of the economics and politics of successful global public health initiatives.
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Understand the economic implications of development assistance regarding health. 2. Describe the problems faced by a developing country in absorbing development assistance. 3. Articulate global health concerns from a US political perspective
Presider(s):Thomas Novotny, MD, MPH
Panelist(s):Jeffrey D. Sachs
Ilona Kickbusch, PhD
Stephen Blount
10:30 AMMacroeconomics and Global Health, Jeffrey D. Sachs
10:55 AMThe Role of Civil Society in Global Public Health
Ilona Kickbusch, PhD
11:20 AMDiscussion
Sponsor:APHA-Special Sessions
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Pharmacy, Social Work

The 129th Annual Meeting of APHA