Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health Essay

Introduction, Background and Aims

The Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPOA) established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2008 suggested that the WHO should take a central role when it comes to managing the relationship between innovation, intellectual property and the provision of health services across the globe. As noted in the background understanding of the strategy set out by the WHO, 4.8 billion people are living in what is considered to be a developing country, with 2. Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health Essay

7 billion of those living on a budget of less than two US dollars a day[1]. Linking this to the provision of healthcare services and the recognition that communicable diseases are often central to the mortality rate in these countries, the WHO recommended looking at how new products could legally be managed so that they are made available to fight diseases within the developing countries, thus providing the necessary foundation for the pharmaceutical industry, so that there would be no gap in treatment between the developed and developing regions[2].