Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) ensure progress made by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is sustained after polio funding is withdrawn in countries transitioning away from GPEI support in 2019, and (2) minimise the detrimental consequences the transition could have on basic health infrastructure in those countries.
Answered by Lord Bates
Since its launch in 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has successfully led global efforts that have reduced Wild Polio Virus cases by more than 99% from 350,000 cases a year in 125 countries to eight cases so far this year in only three endemic countries.
The UK has played a leading role in this process and UK support to the GPEI will mean up to 45 million children can be vaccinated against polio each year until 2020.
The UK Government has advocated strongly, with all relevant players, that the consequences of a reduction in polio funds (as eradication nears) must be understood and that the benefits of the polio eradication system for wider health systems are realised. The World Health Organisation will present a “Global Polio Transition Strategic Action Plan” to the World Health Assembly at the end of May 2018. The UK will scrutinise this carefully and hold WHO to account for its leadership of this area.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the total spend on malaria was allocated to health system strengthening programmes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID is the second largest international funder to the global fight against malaria, spending £499million in 2016/17. Over the last five years, all of our funding on malaria control, apart from the proportion which is spent on research and development of products and the funding for commodity procurement, contributes to strengthening health systems. For example, investment into malaria surveillance systems, training health workers in malaria care for children and improving malaria drug supply systems provide core skills and infrastructure that can be used to address other diseases.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they have committed to (1) bilateral assistance, (2) multilateral organisations, and (3) research and development, in relation to malaria, in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Bates
UK spending on bilateral and multilateral assistance categorised as malaria control is published as part of “Data underlying Statistics on International Development” (SID). UK Official Development Assistance spend on Malaria research is not specifically coded within SID. Accounting for support to multilateral organizations, bilateral malaria control programmes, health systems strengthening, and research, DFID’s estimates of total UK Government malaria spend is £499m for 2016/17.
DFID is currently the second largest global funder of the effort against malaria and expects to remain a leading global donor in the future.