Health: Global Health

Lord Judd Excerpts

Monday 26th October 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

I completely agree with the noble Lord. According to the report, health spending is likely to increase by 8% per annum in Asia for the foreseeable future and by some 5% in the rest of the world. This is a huge opportunity. The NHS is arguably the best-value healthcare system in the world, and the many lessons we have learnt since 1948 will be valuable when we go overseas.

[Lord Judd (Lab)]

Does the noble Lord agree that as part of carrying forward the excellent report to which the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, has referred, it is essential to take into account the lessons learnt from the Ebola episode in Sierra Leone, and to ensure that the World Health Organization has adequate resources to give muscle to its work, and to co-ordinate the work of other departments and aspects of government that are essential in preparing for such epidemics?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The Ebola crisis was indeed a wake-up call. There is no doubt that the leading role we play in the WHO is hugely important, so I agree fully with the noble Lord. The work we are doing on antimicrobial resistance is another example of the very important role the WHO can play, as does our Chief Medical Officer, Sally Davies.