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- Bill and Melinda Gates urge rich countries to reinvest in four key public health programs that fund cheap vaccines, mosquito nets for malaria,
diarrhea medicines and health care for mothers and babies around the world. - The couple fears that countries like the United States and the United Kingdom will be "distracted" by other national problems at the moment, which will lead to more deaths and unrest.
- They say that every dollar invested in global health funds over the last 18 years has generated a return of $ 20.
- That's impressive compared to the $ 1.19 return that they would get over the same period for every dollar invested in the S & P 500.
Bill and Melinda Gates are probably
the most generous couple in the world. Since 1999, the couple's eponymous foundation has invested more than $ 45 billion in anti-poverty and education initiatives around the world.
Before any other cause, they are perhaps best known for their investments in global health. To date, their foundation has invested $ 10 billion to help people live longer and healthier lives through spending on state-of-the-art health solutions such as vaccines and mosquito nets for malaria. anti-polio campaigns at home and HIV treatment.
For the most part, the money helped.
Since 2000, the chances of living beyond 5 years have exploded. While the United States
In this regard, it is disturbing to note that the odds that a child born today dies before its fifth birthday are half as much as in 2000, no matter where in the world it opens up. eyes and takes his first breath.
"The world has become considerably healthier over the last 20 years," Melinda Gates
told reporters during a press call on Wednesday's global health. "The story of the last two decades is a story of incredible progress in the human condition, and that's one of the reasons Bill and I call ourselves optimists."
As the Gates say, this success is largely due to the way their money was spent. Contributions to global health have been channeled into four global health funds, which Gates credits to its fundamental role in the health of the world:
Gavi (for vaccines), the
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and
The Global Financing Facility (for maternal and child health).
As more and more babies get vaccinated, fewer children die, which leads women to give birth to fewer children, knowing that those they will have will stay healthier, longer .
"If a parent knows that his children will grow up to thrive and survive, they will naturally reduce their number of children," Melinda
said Business Insider after the press call.
Why doors invest in strokes and health care
the
The Copenhagen Consensus Center has closely examined the performance of every dollar the Gates Foundation has spent on the four health programs since 2000. They also took stock of what might have happened if, instead of using the money to fund things like vaccines, mosquito nets and family planning, the Gates Foundation had used the stock market to bring more people out of poverty and into a middle-income lifestyle. .
"Suppose our foundation did not invest in Gavi, the Global Fund and GPEI but instead invested the $ 10 billion in the S & P 500, promising to give the balance to developing countries. 18 years later ",
Wall Street Journal Wednesday. "Last week, these countries would have received about $ 12 billion, adjusted for inflation, or $ 17 billion if we take into account dividends reinvested."
Even investments in energy projects (estimated output of $ 150 billion) and infrastructure (estimated at $ 170 billion) have not had the expected results, as well as $ 10 billion in global health funds .
"The $ 10 billion we donated to help provide vaccines, drugs, mosquito nets and other supplies to developing countries has created
200 billion dollarssocial and economic benefits, "Gates wrote.
It's better than anything the S & P 500 can promise.
- "We want to ensure that low-income countries continue to grow and have the opportunity to move to this middle-income status," said Melinda. "And that's why we must continue to make these investments that are incredibly good for all of us."
The Gates Foundation can not fund global health alone
The education programs, immunization campaigns and bed nets that the Gates Foundation has funded would not be as successful without the support of wealthy countries like the United States, which can contribute more than the Foundation with less money. 'effort.
"Despite $ 10 billion, you know, we are only about 5% of those funds," said Melinda. "His
government funds."
(Gates Foundation contributions to each fund range from 5% to 33%.)
These life-saving vaccine initiatives are not expensive for taxpayers. The United States, for example, spends just over 1% of its annual budget on foreign aid, while the British spend 0.7%. Before the annual meeting of some of the world's richest people in Davos, Switzerland, next week, Mr. Gates urged the rich countries of the world not to forget the importance of their commitments to global health.
"Over the next 18 months, these four [programs] "We are at a critical point where the level of distraction caused by national problems or problems limited to the rich world causes us some concern," Bill Gates said during the call, noting that each of the programs would be due . for new funding rounds soon.
The Gates are worried about a group of African countries that will give birth to many more babies in the coming years, especially the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria.
"You have this cohort coming up with a lot of death and disability, which nobody wants," Melinda said. That is why she believes, like her husband, that an investment in health is worth more than anything else that a person can do.
"Because health is then what allows people to continue and receive a good education, participate fully and reach their full potential," she said.
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