3/2016 Focus on ´Health´
People in Botswana are now living around 10 years longer than in 2000. Rwanda, too, has made equally impressive progress on improving life expectancy. Both countries have invested in their health systems, established insurance schemes and worked hard in the fight against AIDS. These efforts have not only benefited each and every individual but have also boosted the resilience of the countries as a whole.
A comprehensive and well-performing health system increases security and stability, as the German Government recently pointed out in its White Paper on Security Policy, which identifies epidemics and pandemics as one of 10 key challenges to state security. The world’s worst Ebola outbreak in 2014 destabilised entire regions across West Africa. Health, then, is not only about the individual, and it is more than merely the absence of disease. Alongside peace, good governance, respect for human rights, natural resource conservation and the fight against extreme poverty, a well-functioning health system is a bedrock for a life in security and dignity.
Under the auspices of the German G20 Presidency, due to commence on 1 December 2016, health will be one of the main topics on the agenda at the July 2017 summit in Hamburg. At their meeting in Heiligendamm back in 2007, the G8 countries launched a 45 billion euro programme to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. At Elmau in 2015, the G7 countries pledged to boost research in neglected tropical diseases and also increased the funding for the Gavi Global Vaccine Alliance.
By focusing on health in this issue of akzente, we aim to provide some insights into this complex topic. We hope you will enjoy reading our cover story about business journalist Jana Schlütter’s visit to South Africa, where she discovered how text messaging can improve ante-natal care and how mobile phones can be used in information-sharing for better disease control.
Health is a vital asset. GIZ has many years of experience in setting up health insurance schemes in developing countries, including Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kenya and Rwanda. Millions of people for whom health care was unaffordable are now gaining access to doctors and hospitals – and that’s something I think we can justifiably be proud of.