Devex CheckUp: Pandemic zero draft wins over NGOs but caveats remain

After three years of witnessing inequitable access to medicines and vaccines and policy failures to address COVID-19, there’s finally some hope: The pandemic accord zero draft, produced by an intergovernmental negotiating body established by the World Health Assembly, lays out support for intellectual property waivers, as well as transparency and conditions to ensure global access to publicly funded medical products. But while advocates are celebrating the win, implementation and compliance will be key. The draft proposes that the World Health Organization will have access to 20% of the world’s pandemic response products such as diagnostics, vaccines, personal protective equipment, and therapeutics “to enable equitable distribution.” Half of that should be in the form of donations and the other half offered at an affordable price to WHO. While the draft outlines the needs of health workers during a pandemic response, more can be done to improve it, advocates say. One of the suggestions is that WHO should specify how countries can protect their health workers from infection and violence during emergencies. There is also concern that the language used is not strong enough to ensure enforcement of the accord’s agreements, which seek to implement measures to improve access to medical products in lower-income countries. STOPAIDS points to the use of the terms “promoting” and “encouraging” manufacturers in the text, which it says is “too open ended,” and thus makes it harder to keep tabs on or enforce. Accountability mechanisms also seem to be missing from the draft. “It completely punts on independent monitoring, which is key to compliance,” Nina Schwalbe, founder of public health think tank Spark Street Advisors, tells Jenny. Read: Pandemic treaty zero draft wins NGO approval, compliance will be key WHO’s got the money? The WHO executive board meeting continues, and here’s a quick update from Jenny on what went down so far on the topic of financing. Several member states said they support the 20% increase in their annual dues to WHO, which was part of a decision they made at last year’s World Health Assembly. Norway added that from 2023, more than one-third of the country’s voluntary contribution to WHO will be “fully flexible,” meaning WHO can use it as it sees fit. But many countries want to see a bigger chunk of the budget going to WHO country offices, which is at 50% in the proposed 2024-2025 budget. Latin American countries also called for global balance, pointing out that their region is the “least financed” of all WHO regions. They want further consultations before they consider the proposed budget at the 76th WHA in May. WHO officials said strengthening WHO country offices is a priority. But that’s difficult to do “if we're going to depend on 86% of voluntary contributions earmarked, and when donors actually influence where the money should be spent,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Fast forward “COVID changed the landscape, and waiting five years for a medicine already approved in high-income countries is no longer acceptable” -- — Charles Gore, executive director, Medicines Patent Pool Ahead of the launch of MPP’s new strategy this week — which aims to secure 10 new licenses, support 10 technology transfers, and develop five new products to reach 30 million people by 2025 — Gore spoke with Devex about the organization’s ambitions. Read: Medicines Patent Pool has a plan to get drugs to low-income nations fast (Pro) + Not yet a Devex Pro member? Start your 15-day free trial of Pro today to read the piece. Fungi-ble assets While the recently released HBO show "The Last of Us" lays out a fictitious scenario where the cordyceps fungus turns humans into bloodthirsty zombies, the threat of fungi worldwide is real. While acute fungal infections are less common than bacterial and viral infections, they carry a higher death rate. Dr. David Denning of the Global Action For Fungal Infections explains in an opinion piece for Devex that routine screening for certain fungi among HIV patients can lead to reduced mortality rates. Alarmingly, certain fungal infections can mimic pulmonary tuberculosis — and patients are being mistakenly treated for tuberculosis instead of receiving a proper fungal diagnosis. A simple solution? Introducing systematic and rapid diagnostics tests across health care centers globally. Opinion: Everyone needs access to fungal disease diagnostics A virtual hand Many hospitals in Kenya lack the necessary facilities and qualified personnel to provide safe deliveries through cesarean sections. Devex contributing reporter Anthony Langat visited Makueni county, which only has three consultant obstetrician-gynecologists to oversee around 900 such surgeries per month. Unsurprisingly, maternal mortality in the county stands at 452 deaths per 100,000 live births — higher than the national rate of 355 deaths per 100,000 live births. In a bid to reduce these alarming figures, Jhpiego — a nonprofit affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University — partnered with surgical platform Proximie to establish a remote mentorship program for junior doctors working in the county. Through the program, surgical teams based in the five hospitals can receive virtual support from experienced doctors using cameras installed in their theaters. “Six months of internship is not adequate for a medical officer to be confident enough to perform these emergency surgical operations,” Dr. Doris Mbithi, one of the program's mentors, tells Anthony, explaining that it takes time and mentorship for a doctor to develop the necessary skills. Read: Can virtual mentorship help to reduce maternal deaths? Growth economy Devex’s careers team has been busy analyzing data stretching back to 2019 — and found that of all the job sectors, only three have seen a growth in job postings. One of those three? Global health. Nearly 7,500 global health jobs were published on our job board in the last year alone, and at least 6% of them listed the desired location for candidates as “worldwide,” indicating that they aren’t tied to a specific location. To see the top employers, job areas, and all global health jobs currently posted, check out the full write-up. Read: 3 growing global development sectors for job seekers to target in 2023 (Career) + A Devex Career Account membership includes all the valuable tools you need to be successful in your globaldev job hunt. Sign up today and start your 15-day free trial. What we’re reading Drug companies are refusing to refund $1.4 billion in prepayments for COVID-19 vaccines that are no longer needed and have been canceled to Gavi, which purchased the shots on behalf of COVAX. [The New York Times] India’s government will reportedly attempt to eliminate sickle cell anemia by the year 2047. [The Hindu] Chinese health authorities say the country’s current wave of COVID-19 is on the decline. [BBC]