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PM's bid for global health care
Gordon Brown is spearheading a campaign to build national health systems in some of the world's poorest countries that will help save millions of lives.
The UK prime minister is forming a new partnership with other first world countries to make sure international aid is spent effectively. It is hoped the International Health Partnership will help poor countries meet three key Millennium Development Goals, fighting illnesses like HIV/AIDS and cutting childhood and maternal mortality rates.
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (DEADLINE: 2015)
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Development a global partnership for development
These goals, agreed by the UN in 2000, aim to significantly reduce poverty and disease, and to improve sanitation in developing countries - but many poor countries will fall short of achieving them by the agreed date of 2015.
Mr Brown said: "There is no greater cause than that every man, woman and child in the world should be able to benefit from the best medicine and healthcare.“
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said while global aid for health has doubled since 2000 and much has been achieved to fight disease and save lives, it is only part of the solution.
"The donor community needs to work together better and smarter in order to deliver for the very countries we're trying to help, whilst supporting poor countries' own priorities," he said. "This is not about launching a health initiative, but is about building health services."
The programme is backed by Norway, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and international organisations including: the World Bank, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the European Commission and the African Development Bank.