Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner reply received to Zimbabwe question

Mr Pearce

Thank you for your e-mail of 27 November expressing the view that overseas
aid to Zimbabwe would be better spent on health services in this country.

The UK Government provides overseas aid because it is morally right to
tackle global poverty and suffering, and it is also in our interests to
help poor people build a better life for themselves. We live in an
increasingly interdependent world. We are closer to people in developing
countries than ever before. We trade more and more with people in poor
countries, and many of the problems which affect us - conflict,
international crime, the trade in illegal drugs and the spread of diseases
- are caused or made worse by poverty in developing countries. Getting rid
of poverty will therefore make for a better world for everyone.

Aid from the Department for International Development (DFID) helps lift 3
million people out of poverty each year. You can find out more on our
website at: [1]http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Quick-...

DFID*s £60 million aid programme to Zimbabwe is aimed at alleviating
suffering, saving lives and protecting livelihoods. It reaches a national
scale and supports millions of people to obtain access to food, medicines,
education and agricultural inputs. No funds go through the government of
Zimbabwe and all procurement is done using internationally accepted
standards and systems mainly through contracted companies or UN systems.

UK support is vitally important in Zimbabwe. For example, earlier this
year, as part of the international community response, we helped to feed
nearly 7 million people and to alleviate a cholera epidemic, which has so
far claimed the lives of over 4,000 people. We have also been providing
assistance and essential medicines to vulnerable groups, including orphans
and those living with HIV and AIDS. Around 1200 people die from HIV/AIDS
related illnesses every week in Zimbabwe. There is further information
at[2]:
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/where-we-work/afr...

On health services in this country, you should be assured that NHS
patients now have access to the most up-to-date drugs and medicines
available. Death rates from what used to be the major killer illnesses *
heart disease and cancer * have fallen significantly in the past few
years. The funding of the NHS has increased from £34.7 billion in
1997/98 to over £98 billion in 2009/10. Medical advances, together with
this significantly increased investment, mean that more people, from very
premature babies to much older people, are now living longer and more
healthy lives.

However, even with this level of investment, resources are finite and
there will always be priorities and choices to be made within the NHS. The
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence ( NICE ) is the
independent body which is responsible for making decisions on the clinical
and cost effectiveness of drugs and treatments. NICE *s decisions are
based on thorough assessment of the best available evidence, and sometimes
it has to refuse to recommend a treatment because there is insufficient
evidence to show that the clinical benefits justify the expense.

Once NICE publishes guidance, health professionals and the organisations
that employ them are expected to take it fully into account when deciding
what treatments to give people. However, NICE guidance does not replace
the knowledge and skills of individual health professionals who treat
patients. If a clinician feels that a certain treatment would be
particularly beneficial to a patient, he or she can recommend it even if
it has not been approved by NICE , subject to the Primary Care Trust (PCT)
agreeing to fund the treatment.

Each PCT is allocated sufficient resources by the Department of Health for
it to meet the needs of its population. The NHS Constitution, published
on 21 January, states that patients have the right to expect local
decisions on the funding of new drugs and treatments 'to be made
rationally following a proper consideration of the evidence'. If the
local PCT decides not to fund a new drug, then it should explain that
decision.

On 3 March, the Department of Health published good practice guidance for
PCTs about the processes they should have in place to make decisions about
funding new drugs and handling exceptional cases. The guidance can be
accessed on the National Prescribing Centre's website
at: [3]www.npc.co.uk

I hope this reply is helpful.

Regards

Catrina Campbell

Public Enquiry Point, Department for International Development, Eaglesham
Road, East Kilbride, G75 8EA, Telephone from the UK 0845 300 4100, from
Overseas + 44 1355 84 3132

Customers who are deaf, have difficulty hearing or are speech impaired can
send text messages to 01355 264562

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