A right to
health? Health and the Millennium Development Goals.
• Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger
• Goal 2: Achieve universal primary
education
• Goal 3: Promote gender equality and
empower women
• Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
• Goal 5: Improve maternal health
• Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases
• Goal 7: Ensure environmental
sustainability
• Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership
for Development
Out of 8
Millennium Development Goals, three are dedicated to health issues. In your
experience, have the MDGs had an impact on health problems in developing
countries? What changes could you observe over the last 8 years, and which of
those would you attribute to the MDGs?
Dr.
Kaddu: The above 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set in 2000 and
should be achieved by the year 2015. It is difficult to judge whether establishment
of these goals has had any impact on meeting the needs of the world’s poorest countries
in Africa. At midway point between their adoption in 2000 and the 2015 target date for
achieving the MDGs, it is still uncertain whether sub-Saharan Africa is
on the way to achieve any of these goals. In my opinion, even the relatively
economically stable African countries have not been able to make sufficient
progress in reducing extreme poverty and disease.
You are
project manager of the project “Tele- Dermatology and E-Learning”. A
cooperative project of the Medical University
Graz (Dermatology), Makerere
University (Dermatology) and Mbarara University
(Medical Faculty) in Uganda.
Considering the 8 goals the project is related to goals 6 and 8.
Would you
say that this project is an outcome of the MDGs or is there no relation?
Dr.
Kaddu: Not directly. However, our project aims at offering specialist medical
support and some degree of financial assistance to low economic areas of Uganda. I think
this is one strategy as to how one can impact faster and large-scale progress towards achieving the MDGs.
Further project information:
http://www.kef-online.at/en/projekte/uganda-sterreich-projekt-134-2006-2008.html
http://telederm.org/uganda/
In the sense
of developing global partnership and international cooperation a purpose of
your project is to establish a virtual collaboration between African partners, USA and Austria. Would you please tell us
some facts about the project and/or about successes, problems and outcome?
Dr.
Kaddu:
Background:
This
is a cooperative project of the Medical University Graz (Department of Dermatology),
Austria and Makerere University
(Department of Dermatology) and Mbarara
University (Medical Faculty), Uganda. The Uganda/Austria
Tele- Dermatology and E-Learning was launched in February 2007 with sponsorship from the “Kommission für
Entwicklungsfragen (KEF) der Österreichischen Akademie der
Wissenschaften.”
Main objectives: To facilitate improvement of treatment of skin diseases
in Uganda
by establishing an Internet channel for long distance dermatological
consultation.
Achievements
so far:
1.
International co-operation: In addition to the Ugandan
partners, the project has also established a collaboration with the University
of Pennsylvania, Department of Dermatology, Philadelphia and a number of other
medical centres in East, Central and South African regions.
2. Tele-consultation:
Since its initiation, the Africa Teledermatology Project has been beneficial in
diagnosis and management of more than 160 consultations sent over the project
webpage http://telederm.org/africa/.
Of these, 35% of cases were children; 25% of cases represented
HIV-associated skin conditions. The majority of were inflammatory/infectious
skin conditions and a minority involved skin tumours. In 35
cases, skin biopsies were also additionally submitted for processing and
evaluation at the Medical University of Graz and University of Pennsylvania
in order to confirm the diagnosis.
3. Tele-teaching and E-learning:
A number of tele-teaching opportunities are available on the project website
including (1) a comprehensive list of dermatology literature sources, (2)
a dermatology curricula, (3) a list of exemplary cases with comprehensive
discussions “case of the month”, and (4) a “discussion forum” for problematic
cases.
4. Other achievements: The project activities have resulted in
sensitization of policy makers in the Uganda Ministry of Health about the
benefits of teledermatology. A secondary pilot project involving
mobile phones with built-in low cameras (instead of bulky digital cameras and
computers) will be shortly launched on the project website.
Challenges:
These include
(1) limitations in Telecom Networks in Uganda which have created setbacks
in enhancing international linkage and collaboration, and (2) the relatively
slow adaptation to the concept of teledermatology by some African users.
Goal 6
relates directly to HIV/Aids and Malaria. Do you think that other health issues
are underrepresented? Other diseases are addressed
generally in this goal. According to your opinion, on which other disease
should the research focus be stronger?
Dr. Kaddu: I think other diseases such as infectious
skin diseases (e.g. Leprosy) and skin tumours; also childhood infectious diseases
need extra focus.
I would
like to discuss with you the role of science in development and the combat
against poverty and tropical diseases. Health issues are often seen as
humanitarian issues only, and investment in health research is often a
privilege of ‘Northern Societies’. What arguments would you bring forth to
support or discourage investment in science in so called developing countries?
Dr. Kaddu:
My arguments mainly support investment in
science to reduce poverty and disease:
1. Scientific approaches help governments and NGO to maximize efficient use of their resources to combat poverty.
2. Developing governments should adopt ways to motivate scientists so that they are retained in their countries to reduce brain drain.
3. Science can directly or indirectly contribute to socio-economic development.
4. Rate development directly parallels capacity-building in emerging technologies
5. There is a need for scientists to form professional groups, locally and regionally.
6. Better technical education can cope with technological challanges.
7. Stable and effective scientific institutions t provide clear policy directions for developing countries.
Goal 1 wants to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Goal 2 wants to achieve universal primary education. Can you see a direct
connection/relation between those first two goals and the health specific
goals?
Dr. Kaddu: Yes there is a direct connect
From your point of view, should the emphasis of
research be shifted even more towards health issues or are these already
sufficiently covered?
Dr. Kaddu: It should be shifted toward health issues
In your
personal experience, what have been the most compelling moments in your career
as scientist? What was your reason for choosing dermatology as your main research topic?
Dr. Kaddu: My
most compelling moments are times when I get no direct motivation or financial
funding for my ideas.
I chose
Dermatology because I want to deal directly with people.
What should be done or changed in order to provide more
means for research related to development and respectively what must be done or
changed to mobilise civil society and the public sphere?
Dr. Kaddu: The public should be made more aware of the
benefits of research.
Is there any question which we didn’t discuss but you
think is really important?
Dr. Kaddu: No.
Interview: Matthias Weissgram
