Seoul, November 12 (IANS). South Korea’s effective response to COVID-19 is a lesson for the world in dealing with future pandemics and existing diseases, the head of a global initiative to provide affordable treatments to low- and middle-income countries has said.
“Korea has managed the pandemic one of the best in the world,” Philip Dunton, executive director of Unite, said in an interview with Yonhap news agency. He said the country had shown “discipline and communication” as well as “collective intelligence and responsibility”.
Dunton was visiting South Korea to attend the World Bio Summit, organized by the Health Ministry and the World Health Organization in the country’s western port city of Incheon under the theme “Investing for a Healthy and Safe Decade of the Future”. Was.
“I think the most impressive thing about the Republic of Korea is that it’s one of the rare countries in the world that hasn’t had a complete shutdown during that time,” Dunton said, referring to South Korea’s official name.
He said, “We will use these lessons not only in the pandemic situation but also beyond this, because we have to fight HIV, tuberculosis and other diseases.”
Unitaid, founded in 2006, provides pharmaceutical assistance to developing countries targeting key diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
South Korea, a major donor to the organization, has contributed a total of US$95 million by the end of 2023 and has served as a member of the Executive Board since its inception.
During the interview, Dunaton emphasized that Unite wants to expand its cooperation with South Korea, as competition in the production of biosimilar products can help ensure affordable and accessible treatments for countries in need.
“Korea is the best place because other places don’t have a lot of capacity,” Dunaton said.
“If you want to think about simplifying processes, increasing volume and lowering prices, we are right here.”
Dunaton also highlighted South Korea’s leadership in diagnostics and rapid test kits.
“Korea in particular is a big supporter of the work we’re doing at Unite. What we try to do is make it simple and easy for people to use,” Dunton said, adding that South Korea is a big supporter of the work we’re doing on a global scale. Can help supply easy-to-use testing kits.
Addressing potential cooperation with North Korea in combating the diseases, Dunton said, “This is not an easy time.”
“United has previously supported two projects in North Korea, focused on pediatric tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis, and is open to future collaboration in partnership with stakeholders in the Republic of Korea,” he said.
He said, “United is committed to health equity on the Korean Peninsula and supports efforts to improve health outcomes in the DPRK whenever possible.” DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea.
–IANS
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