Between 6th-10th September, Verona, Italy, was host to the 6th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health and the 1st Mediterranean Congress on Migration and Travel Health whose underlying theme this year was “Equality, Human Rights and Access to Care”.
Sanofi-aventis’ Access to Medicines, supported by sanofi-aventis Italy, spoke of its implication in tropical and neglected diseases that disproportionnally affect people in developping countries.

Public debate: Monday 7 September, 8.30pm, Auditorium

« The right to health or condemned to disease? Access to Health, from the South of the world to immigration »

Featuring Robert Sebbag, VP sanofi-aventis Access to Medicines, as a panelist.

Conducted by Gad Lerner (one of the most authoritative Italian journalists) The objective was to offer to the congress and to the general public some hints of reflection on the main theme of the Congress. Access to health care is a well established, fundamental Human Right in the European culture, but Europe appears to be a happy island in this respect. The problems of access to health care in low income countries and that of the “new citizens” of Europe are linked in many respects. Yet, these problems are rarely addressed by the media.

Programme

• 1) Testimonies: Chiara Castellani (DR Congo, Author of well-known books on her experiences as a doctor in Nicaragua and RD Congo for 25 years); Antonia Lopez (more than 20 years of experience delivering medical care with a hospital-boat in the Amazonian rivers, in Brazil).
• 2) Access to essential drugs and health care in the developing world. Raffaella Ravinetto (President, Médecins sans Frontières Italy and Head, Clinical Trials Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium).
• 3) What is the responsibility of the drug industry? Representatives of “Big Pharma”. Robert Sebbag (Vice President, Sanofi Aventis) and Joe Cohen (“father” of the GSK malaria vaccine).

• 4) Access to health for immigrants in Italy. Stories, lights and shadows. Geraldo Monteiro, CESAIM Health Centre for immigrants in Verona.
• 5) Comments by the Mayor of Verona, Flavio Tosi
• 6) What are the links between the two main problems? What the responsibilities of rich countries? Why are these issues so neglected by the political agenda? Zeno Bisoffi, President of the Congress and of the Federation of the European Societies of Tropical Medicine and International Health (FESTMIH).
  

Discussion, moderated by Gad Lerner.
Conclusion. What follow-up to this debate? Gad Lerner.