PAHO Director Participates in Health Research Summit

Washington, DC, November 16, 2004 (PAHO)—Dr. Mirta Roses, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), is in Mexico this week to participate in the Ministerial Summit on Health Research, along with more than 50 ministers of health, directors of organizations, and academic leaders.

In her official visit to Mexico, Roses’ agenda also includes a meeting on gender violence and reproductive health, and a presentation on the national program for control and prevention of HIV and Tuberculosis. She is also scheduled to meet with the Health Secretary of Mexico, Dr. Julio Frenk, and the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Lee Jong-wook.

The ministerial summit, organized by the Government of Mexico and by WHO, will address the key role of research in sustainable development of the health of the population.

Every year more than US $70 billion is spent on health research and development by the public and private sectors. An estimated 10 percent of these funds are used for research into 90 percent of the world's health problems. This is what is called "the 10/90 gap". The Global Forum's central objective is to help correct that gap in research by focusing efforts on diseases representing the heaviest burden on the world's health and facilitating collaboration between partners in both the public and private sectors.

Dr. Roses is scheduled to address the meeting on the importance of continuing to advocate for the principles of greater equity, and for health research as a way to reach the millennium development goals.

Between 2000 and 2002, in the MEDLINE database, more than one million scientific articles were indexed, with 42 percent of the main authors being from the United States and Canada; 47 percent from other developed countries and only 3 percent from Latin America and the Caribbean.

"The potential for scientists of developing countries would be increased if they were more integrated into the international scientific communities, forging associations of mutual benefit with scientists from developed countries," Roses points out.

"As director of PAHO, I am committed to placing on the regional health agenda the development of health research as one of the essential public health functions. This will imply, among other things, advocating and mobilizing political will in support of the development of scientific capabilities and of innovation in health, strengthening technical cooperation with the countries in the development of national health research systems and articulating mechanisms that facilitate the increase in the scientific collaboration under the principles of equity and Panamericanism," Roses said.

PAHO, established in 1902, works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and the quality of life of people of the Americas. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.