Dying of market failure

Subtitle: MSF's campaign for access to essential medicines

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Hoen, Ellen 't

Affiliations: Médecins sans Frontières, Paris, France

Abstract: One third of the world's population lacks access to essential drugs. In the most impoverished parts of Africa and of Asia more than half the population do not have access to such drugs (WHO, 1999). Many effective remedies are and have been for many years out of reach of the people in developing countries. Because of globalization and new international trade rules the situation may even get worse in the near future. Globalization demands for new approaches to protect and further the basic human right to access to health care.

Journal: International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, vol. 13, no. 2-3, pp. 137-142, 2000