By: Morgan Kaminski
In anticipation of this week’s Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) Summit in New York City, there have been several discussions and hearings around DC this week. Many of the discussions have assessed the world’s current progress and challenges toward achieving the MDGs by 2015. Last Thursday, I attended a congressional briefing hosted by the Malaria No More Policy Center to discuss “Malaria Progress: What Makes This Time Different?” The discussion was incredibly fruitful and provided great hope toward achieving MDG 6, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
The discussions brought up several important points that are significant for all of global health, including the progress of NTD treatment and control. Four major themes arose from the briefing: government leadership and program ownership, harnessing of faith-based organizations, advancement of new technologies, and ensuring increased and sustained resources.
These four themes are also of particular importance to NTD treatment and control. Leadership from individual country governments is essential toward improved NTD awareness and providing increased programs and funding. Political will is necessary to reduce a country’s NTD burden because of the negative cyclical effect that NTDs have on poverty and illness which can be directly associated to a country’s economic and social challenges. With increased government leadership for NTD control, programs can become more universal and have the opportunity to provide hope to many of the country’s poor.
Similar to malaria control, harnessing faith-based organizations for NTD control is an invaluable method to leverage existing infrastructure with strong support, trust, and leadership. Utilizing this infrastructure for NTD control has the potential to drastically improve NTD awareness throughout the most remote communities in any country, an important opportunity that cannot be overlooked.
In addition to country leadership and coordination among faith-based organizations, the panel described how the remaining themes of advancement of new technologies and increased and sustained resources are all intricately intertwined. It is well known that without sustained or increased funding and awareness building, new technologies cannot be developed and, new or improved country programs will not be created. This is the harsh reality of global health, and these lessons need to remain in the forefront of our decision making now and in the future for NTD control, as well as the achievement of the broader MDGs. For more information about the September 16th briefing, please visit the Malaria Policy Center.
Morgan Kaminski is the Policy Intern at The Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases . She is currently in the process of earning her MPH at The George Washington University.
