Debates of the European Parliament

SITTING OF TUESDAY, 13 JANUARY 2004

Health issues and poverty reduction

Karamanou (PSE), draftsman of the opinion of the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities. – (EL) Madam President, Commissioner, I should like on behalf of the Committee on Women's Rights, of which I am chairman, to present our opinion on Mrs Sandbaek's exceptional report, which I am presenting in Mrs Valenciano's absence.

Unfortunately, Commissioner, after half a century of promises, analyses and development aid plans, most less developed countries are not only not on the road to development, but are also sinking increasingly into poverty and the fatal diseases of our times. The victims of this situation are, of course, women, the social group which still does not have access to rudimentary medical and pharmaceutical care and sexual and reproductive health services.

Of course, Commissioner, as you said, women make a very great contribution, even in countries in which their fundamental freedoms and human rights are not recognised. However, Commissioner, if women governed, I believe that the world would be a much more humane place. I think it is a disgrace on our civilisation that 30 000 people in developing countries die every day of diseases which are curable in the civilised world. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age, ranking even above death in childbirth. The number of women infected with the AIDS virus is high and is rising constantly. This impacts not only on the women themselves, but also, in the case of pregnancy, on their children. As Mrs Sandbaek said, 13 million children have been orphaned and this number, to the glory of our civilisation, is expected to reach 25 million by 2010.

As the Committee on Women's Rights, we are calling both on the governments of the developing countries and the European Union and other international organisations working in this sector to ensure that the gender dimension is fully incorporated into all health policies, taking account of the leading role played by women.

I should also like to welcome the agreement by the members of the WTO in August 2003, despite the differences and time-consuming procedures and delays which intervened, the efforts of the UN to provide high quality drugs to patients with the AIDS virus and the decision by the Council of the European Union on increased incentives for the pharmaceutical industry, with the aim of selling drugs more cheaply. I think that we should step up our efforts to address this dreadful scourge, Commissioner.