The Clinton Global Initiative (click here >>) describes itself as a non-partisan catalyst for action, bringing together a select and diverse community of global leaders and influencers – heads of state, CEOs, media voices, philanthropists, foundation heads, religious leaders, original thinkers and those who run effective NGOs – to devise and implement innovative solutions to global problems.
One of the four focus areas of the Initiative is Global Health, and this year’s meeting, held on 20–22 September in New York, saw chronic disease included in the portfolio of health concerns under discussion. The 2005 meeting – the first of the Initiative – had focused on HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases.
One of the 2006 working sessions, ‘Neglected Health Threats: Silent Killers, Practical Responses’, included a subsession on ‘Managing the Prevention and Treatment of Global Chronic Diseases’, which was moderated by George Stephanopolos, with panellists including Lance Armstrong, Valentin Fuster and Professor Srinath Reddy.
Professor Nizal Sarraf-Zadegan, director of the Isfahan Healthy Heart Initiative and a longstanding OxHA supporter, was also on the panel. During the questions, she spoke up for the approach of the Oxford Health Alliance:
‘[Chronic disease] is not [a] priority for governments. There are many obstacles, even the physicians, the health professionals. We need to work with everybody to increase awareness, to improve the awareness level, to pay attention to this priority … I like very much the Oxford Health Alliance theme which is three risk factors, that is nutrition, lack of physical activity, tobacco, leading to four diseases, which is cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, COPDs, leading to more than 50% of the mortality in the world. So this is a very nice, small and short theme, and everybody knows this, but in reality, nothing [is done].’
Future Alerts will report on the commitments on chronic disease made by the Initiative’s participants.
A full transcript of the session can be found here >> and a video of the session can be viewed here >>.