By Alimatu Fofanah & Rachel Horner, The Exclusive, Sierra Leone

 

Following the Bamako call to action on research for health hosted by the Malian government recently, ministers and representatives from 59 countries have recognized the need for greater equity in research for health.

 

This recognition was made as a result of the small proportion of global spending on research challenges that inexplicably affect the poor, marginalized and disadvantaged.

 

“The nature of research and innovation for health improvement, especially in the context of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, is not sufficiently inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral; there is a need to mobilize all relevant sectors (public, private, civil society) to work together in effective and equitable partnerships to find needed solutions,” the representatives acknowledged.

According to them, funding for research for health in low and middle-income countries is very difficult to secure, but they documented that there are considerable societal returns available as a result of that investment. “This is especially true in times of economic crisis; now is the time to invest in research for health,” they urged.

Guided by the Bamako principles of leadership, engagement, and accountability, the 59 ministers and representatives called on national governments to allocate at least 2% of the ministries of health budgets to health research. They also called on national governments to develop mechanisms and tools in order to facilitate what they referred to as effective inter-sectoral, inter-ministerial, and inter-country research cooperation and harmonization to tackle complex health challenges.

The ministers and representatives further implored governments to assist countries through international collaboration to enable them identify the need to build and strengthen research for health capacity.

 

“National governments should work through regional alliances to advocate for research, establish networks of researchers and regional centres of excellence, ensure coherent and sustainable funding, improve education and career opportunities in research and research management, and strengthen harmonization of regulation and ethical conduct,” they called.

They however urged multilateral agencies as well as state-run institutions to harness the potential of research by drawing on new sciences, emerging technologies, social and technological innovations to address priority health challenges.

They also called on them to explore the possibility of establishing November 18 each year as a world day of research for health.