Ian Gust
Professorial Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne.
Marcel Tanner
Marcel Tanner is Director of the Swiss Tropical Institute and Professor of Epidemiology and Medical Parasitology at the University of Basel and at the Federal Institute of Technology. He obtained a PhD on medical biology from the University of Basel and a MPH from the University of London.
Since 1977, his research ranges from basic research on the cell biology and immunology on for example malaria to epidemiological and public health research on risk assessment, vulnerability, health impact and district health planning. His research, teaching and health planning expertise are based on substantial long term experience from working in rural and urban areas in Africa and Asia.
He acts as advisor on communicable diseases research and control, health systems strengthening and capacity building in various national and international agencies/bodies and in boards/committees such as Swiss Academy of Science, WHO and DNDi.
Yves Champey
Advisor to the Director General of Evry Genopole in France.
Richard Laing
Medical officer at the WHO and author of the Priority Medicines for Europe and the World report.
Marcel Tanner
Director of the Swiss Tropical Institute in Basel
Marcel Tanner states that poor health systems are the most urgent problem in global health and health development.
Health systems are not very well developed and/or poorly supported, particularly on the periphery. Or there is no good collaboration between the different service providers such as private and public. It is certainly not just a question of money.
We therefore have to introduce a more systematic approach. We need a “magic gun”, effective health systems, instead of only “magic bullets”, such as new drugs or vaccines for malaria, HIV, tuberculosis etcetera. An important problem of weak health systems is the lack of human resources. If you really look at for instance the Millennium Development Goals; if you calculate what you need in terms of people working in the health sector to reach these goals, you will find that most countries have substantial deficiencies in human resources to be able to reach these noble goals.
Biotechnology can play an important role, particularly at the diagnostic front. Rapid and correct diagnosis especially at the point of care is necessary for rapid and effective treatment, for example for the diagnosis of different fevers. Biotechnology can be a magic bullet, but we must not forget the magic gun, the health system.