Dr. Alexander von Paleske
Mpilo-Hospital
Bulawayo/Zimbabwe
20th October 2010

Richard Horton
Publisher
THE LANCET
32 Jamestown Road
London
UK

Dear Mr. Horton

RE: 2nd World Health Summit in Berlin/GERMANY October 2010

To my astonishment I had to find out, that once again you have attended - and praised – the World Health Summit in Berlin.

This is very regrettable, as the legs of the Congress are certainly not big enough for the boots, that carry this name.

The Lancet has continuously and persistently focused the attention to health issues of developing countries, where the majority of the world population lives.

The congress in Berlin certainly did not.

Last year, as you very well know, a lot of NGO’s and the German Trade Unions organized an alternative congress, to make the pressing issues of those countries heard.

The fact, that this alternative congress rightfully had to be organized, tells enough about the way, Professor Ganten and
his co-workers looked and look at the world as a whole.

This year, there were minor, as I would say, cosmetic changes.

The fact, that presentations about space medicine were allocated the same time, as presentations for
progress in the management of Malaria, HIV and TB speaks volumes.

The problems of Global Health have become far worse in this year, due to the earthquake in Haiti and the flooding in
Pakistan.

At the same time less money is and will be available thanks to the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

As your leading medical journal pointed out time and again, 1/3 or the world population cannot afford even simple lifesaving drugs.

The money allocated for the treatment and prevention of HIV/ AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis through Pepfar and Global Fund will not be increased at best in the time to come, while millions of new patients wait to be put on treatment.

The resistance of infectious agents against available drugs, especially those for the treatment of TB and Malaria is steadily and alarmingly on the rise.

Multidrug resistant TB has become a problem, however with treatment costs of roughly 1200 US Dollars per patient per year the drugs will be largely unavailable in Sub Saharan Africa.

Let alone the XDR-TB with treatment costs at around 7200 US Dollars per patient per year.

The research efforts to develop new drugs, especially against TB and Malaria, are totally insufficient.

The same applies, albeit to a lesser degree, even to conventional antibiotics, where resistance of infectious agents, even in community acquired infections, is on the rise as well.

The pharmaceutical companies are more interested in chronic diseases like Hypertension and Diabetes, which, not surprisingly,
featured dominantly in the meetings of this year's congress.

One could go on and on, i.e. on the issue of non- production of an already developed vaccine against Hepatitis E (not enough profit) and ending with the non-availability of a vaccine against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in many developing countries, because of high cost.

Not to forget the rising cases of cancer and the costly treatment.. This is especially the case in countries with a high burden of HIV disease due to HIV associated cancers.

In short, one ist left with the bitter taste in the mouth, that this congress has little if nothing to do with the most pressing problems in the world as a whole.

Not surprisingly, unlike last year, this year's meeting did not attract much interest in Germany, neither in the public, nor in the media.

It is regrettable, that a man of your high standing lends his support for this type of meeting, and thus adds - in my opinion - undeserved credibility to it, let alone opening your highly respected journal for the remarks of the organiser of the congress, Professor (emeritus) Ganten.

Yours respectfully

Dr. Alexander von Paleske
Senior Consultant and Head,
Department of Haematology
Mpilo-Hospital
Bulawayo/Zimbabwe
Ex Barrister-at-Law, High Court Frankfurt (M)/Germany