47. The Apothecaries, March 7, 2022

 


The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London held its inaugural lecture: Pandemics, Pounds & Partnerships by Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, at its very attractive Hall in Black Friars Lane.

 


Peter Sands is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Global Fund’s operational and administrative functions, working under the guidance of the Global Fund Board. The lecture was fascinating and covered the financing - donations from government and individuals, to the programmes running in many countries. The slow progress towards eradication had been interrupted by the Covid19 pandemic, and would take some time to recover. One indirect benefit was that the public health infrastructure supported by the Global Fund had been very important to survival rates in many countries.

This was a lesson that some developed countries needed to learn before the inevitable next pandemic. To regard the pandemic as ‘over’ was a misunderstanding of great proportions – the UK had been lucky that the omicron variant, whilst incredibly infectious, appeared to be less of a health risk. He also argued that pandemic planning paid off in financial terms, taking into account all of the impacts on the economy.

The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session which highlighted the role of conflict as a source of new infections. My thanks go to Dr Jonathan Holliday, Senior Warden who stood in for the Master, who was indisposed.

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