Neglected Tropical Diseases

Lord Collins of Highbury Excerpts

Wednesday 11th July 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab)]

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord Trees, for initiating today’s debate. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, I am pleased that he has kept up the tradition of maintaining this debate on a regular basis since the 2012 summit, which set out the way forward towards achieving a world free of NTDs. I was just thinking, as noble Lords were talking about pronunciations, that I have successfully managed throughout five years of debates not to use one Latin word—so I will continue with that and avoid slipping up with any mispronunciations.

As we have heard, neglected tropical diseases are the most common infections among the world’s poorest communities. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, I use the term “communities” because it is not about rich countries and poor countries: it is about poor people, and poor people have suffered the most from these diseases. It is a vital issue, and one reason why I have been so pleased about this annual event is that it is a way of keeping the public and the Government aware of the impact of these diseases and ensuring that they continue with the battle against them.

While their effects are not always fatal, their effects on individuals and families can be devastating, and the brunt is often felt by women and children, which acts as a serious impediment to economic development. I remember that, before one of the debates we had, the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, introduced me to John Kufuor, the former president of Ghana, who said:

“There is no silver bullet remedy to helping a country break the cycle of poverty, but investing in the health of its population offers one of the best options for unlocking economic potential. With full support both from national governments and from the global community, we can … put an end to NTDs on the African continent”.


That sums up what tonight is all about.

We have heard that treating NTDs is extremely cost effective, and heard about the tremendous impact that public-private partnerships and the commitment of pharmaceutical companies to donate nearly all of the drugs necessary for counteracting the seven most common NTDs have had. Like the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, I recognise the huge progress that has been made, which was highlighted in the fifth progress report. I also pay tribute to the Minister for his continued activity in this regard, pushing the Government. I know that I have done this in the past, and I am sure that it has not necessarily helped his career, but I will continue to do so.

As the fifth progress report rightly highlights—noble Lords mentioned this—the programmes that have been introduced have been an important gateway to universal health coverage, reaching as they do some of the world’s most isolated and poorest communities. They do so by training health workers and empowering health facilities with scant resources to reach more people effectively. As the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, said, they can fuel innovation, which is crucial to ensuring universal health coverage, and can ensure that everyone has access to high-quality essential healthcare without suffering financial hardship—which of course is what the SDGs are all about.

DfID has promised to help countries build “resilient, responsive health systems”. Will the Minister say how his department is using the lessons learned from the NTD programmes to deliver on that DfID promise? Labour is committed to establishing a new centre for universal health coverage to give technical and policy assistance to support low-income countries to strengthen and expand their own free, universal public health systems. As we have heard tonight, despite the striking progress since the 2012 summit—it has been striking—the long-term elimination goals cannot be reached without addressing the primary risk factors for NTDs, such as access to clean water and basic sanitation, vector control, and, as I mentioned, stronger health systems, particularly in endemic areas.

As we have also heard, many of the issues and concerns raised in our last debate on the subject still hold. As my noble friend Lady Warwick said, one of those concerns is Brexit and the impact it may have on our research institutions. I hope that the Minister will be able to respond to questions in a direct way.

The other threat that we referred to in the last debate is the impact that President Trump’s changes, particularly to USAID, might have. The United States, through its private foundations and as a Government, has played a critical role in the NTD campaign. As we have heard, Governments and private philanthropists have been providing generous funding, with $812 million pledged at the 2017 summit.

The progress report calls on existing donor countries such as the UK to invest more to support NTD programmes and to support the leverage that can occur from those donations, multiplying the impact, particularly with donated drugs, of every dollar committed. I know that the Minister may have difficulty in answering this, but can he tell us what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the US stays the course until these diseases are eliminated and to encourage new donors to join this global effort? For example, will the Prime Minster raise this issue with President Trump when she meets him this week? US aid is a critical factor in these programmes. The report also calls on us to encourage new donors to join the global effort. Will the Minister tell us whether the Government have made representations to others who have not yet committed to encourage the programmes?

My noble friend Lady Warwick highlighted trachoma —I have managed to pronounce one term—which is a bacterial infection that can lead to permanent loss of sight. It is one of the world’s main infectious causes of blindness. As we have heard, five countries have been validated by the WHO as having eliminated trachoma. The Minister was present at the CHOGM where I was extremely pleased to hear the announcement that the UK would step up its programme to combat the disease that affects 52 million people across 21 Commonwealth countries. That support is extremely welcome and will be added to by additional donors, including the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, which is working towards elimination in 12 Commonwealth countries.

Later this month, the UK will host the first Global Disability Summit with its Charter for Change, which aims to ensure rights, freedoms, dignity and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. One way of delivering real change would be to ensure that lessons from initiatives such as the UK-funded trachoma programme are shared so that all people with disabilities are empowered and no one is left behind.