CEO Forum: Global Health
Q: nyse magazine asked these CEOs to describe how their companies are addressing global health challenges.
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Sappi Ltd. focuses on projects that minimize the impact of HIV/AIDS on our organization and our people, with particular emphasis on our businesses and communities in southern Africa, through an extensive prevention, treatment and support program. We strive to operate as a key partner in governmental and nongovernmental efforts to achieve a comprehensive HIV/AIDS solution. We have had exceptional success motivating HIV-positive employees to register in a managed-care program; currently 44 percent of our company’s predicted HIV-positive employees are registered. We also think it’s important to help reduce the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS by training peer educators and counselors as well as encouraging preventive behavior.
Helping patients prevail against serious disease is Bristol-Myers Squibb’s goal and our business. Nearly a decade ago, our company made the biggest commitment of its kind to help communities affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa through SECURE THE FUTURE, our initiative in partnership with African nations to find relevant and sustainable solutions to help manage the disease in women and children. We catalogued the lessons we’ve learned, and now our faculty and guidebook are providing practical resources for countless other organizations working to mobilize communities around health care. We also allow our medicines to be manufactured and provided at lower costs in regions that are severely affected by the AIDS epidemic.
It’s not enough for businesses to give money to treat diseases — although more funding is always welcome. We need to develop better models for health-care delivery and direct our funding toward organizations that do that work. BMO Financial Group supports research on inner-city health at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital because the attendant health consequences of inner-city poverty are global concerns. We also support research focused on the epidemiology and prevention of premature mortality in developing countries caused by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and chronic diseases to advance equitable sharing of scientific benefits.
The Avon Foundation is the world’s largest corporate foundation for women and is a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity. Avon and the Avon Foundation have raised and awarded more than $660 million in funds to support causes that are important to women, including breast cancer and domestic violence prevention. Breast cancer is projected to kill 10 million people globally in the next 25 years. From 1992 through 2008, the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade has provided more than $585 million in funding to more than 50 countries for awareness and education, screening and diagnosis, access to treatment, support services and scientific research. Since 2004, Avon’s Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program has awarded over $10 million to more than 350 domestic violence organizations across the U.S. to support awareness, education, direct services and prevention programs, and we are pleased to have rolled this program out to 10 additional countries.
Socially responsible companies make an important contribution to global health. In developing countries, poor health and limited access to care take an enormous toll and hinder economic development. Barrick has made building healthy communities a focus of our programs worldwide. To protect the health of our employees, we address serious health issues within the wider community. We find that we can be most effective by collaborating with public- and private-sector partners who share our concerns. In terms of disease management, Barrick has strong HIV/AIDS and malaria programs in Tanzania and Papua New Guinea. Our health teams are helping to eliminate the transmission of these deadly diseases and minimize their prevalence. We also make significant investments in health infrastructure, such as clinics and hospitals, particularly in remote, underserved communities near our mines.
Some of Newmont Mining Corp.’s mines operate in regions where public health issues have an impact on our employees, their families and local communities. Global health concerns, including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, can have a potentially devastating effect on communities that support our company’s operations. Worker absenteeism, reduced productivity and increased social strains can lead to higher operating costs and political destabilization. In response, Newmont has designated a dedicated staff and resources to help address public health concerns near our operations. For example, our company has made significant strides in reducing the malaria rates near our Batu Hijau mine in Indonesia from more than 40 percent to less than 2 percent. We’ve done this through mosquito eradication, personal protection, behavior modification measures and prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Demographics will cause a rise in tragic diseases that threaten to be disastrous for communities, both medically and economically. Wyeth’s 6,000 scientists are fighting back with the best technologies, including biotechnology, to develop treatments that will cure or stop the progression of such diseases. Wyeth has already introduced the first recombinant hemophilia treatments, a revolutionary cure for rheumatoid arthritis and the first pneumococcal vaccine for children. We have declared war on Alzheimer’s and various forms of cancer. Wyeth is even trying to eradicate river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, in Africa. More than ever, the world needs Wyeth’s research to be successful.
Poor health is costly for all businesses. Whether you look at chronic illnesses such as heart disease, lifestyle disorders such as obesity or devastating infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, ill health hurts business by reducing the quality and quantity of the workforce and diminishing productivity. The World Health Organization estimates that India and China together lose $27 billion annually in national income from lost productivity because of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. In a global economy, the burden of fighting disease has no borders. As a pharmaceutical company, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories directly addresses global health issues through our businesses. Our core purpose is to provide affordable alternatives to innovator drugs and innovative medicines to meet unmet medical needs. For example, Polypill, a novel drug that fights heart disease, has four generic ingredients in one formulation. Currently in its trial phase, Polypill will offer patients a convenient, low-cost alternative to existing therapies.
Abbott Laboratories is a diverse, global health-care company with a presence in more than 130 countries. With the steady rise of major market economies, the rest of the world will play a much larger role in our growth. Abbott’s scientific expertise and portfolio of innovative technologies and treatments help address the world’s greatest health challenges, including cardiovascular and immune diseases, proper nutrition and diabetes. Abbott ensures that large numbers of patients can access our products by offering broad registration, sustainable pricing and adequate supply. We complement this with philanthropic programs that leverage our core capabilities to bring critical access to health-care products and strengthen infrastructure in the world’s most vulnerable regions.
