Boston - USA - 02, November, 2010
Irrevocable resignation from the position of Vice-President for Latin America of the World Hepatitis Alliance
To whom it may concern, I inform that on this date I presented my irrevocable resignation from the position of Vice-Director for Latin America in the World Hepatitis Alliance.
The main reason for my resignation is my disagreement as to the directions the World Hepatitis Alliance is taking, making it each day more distant from its original objective.
The other reasons that led me to take such drastic decision were the following:
1 - Hepatitis World Day
By May, 2009 only a small number of countries had actually confirmed they would be voting in favor of Brazil's proposal at the World Health Organization General Assembly. Official support was given by seven countries: Algeria, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, China, Scotland and Kwait. Eight other countries promised to accept the resolution: Egypt, Ireland, Georgia, Jordan, Canada, Mauritius Islands, Cape Verde Islands and the United Kingdom.
2 - SEARCHING FOR SUPPORT OF THE COUNTRIES
Nowadays, in order to get votes at the next World Health Organization Assembly, the efforts of World Hepatitis Alliance are being directed towards small, poor countries, that have no resources. From my point of view I believe that those efforts will generate few practical effects, because those countries do not have enough political power to face the opposition of the most important nations during the Assembly. What those poor countries want are free medicines, and that is not what we proposed when we formed the World Hepatitis Alliance. It will be the developed countries that will decide the voting results.
3- SPECIALISTS PANEL
The panel formed by twelve internationally renowned specialists, always cited as guarantors of the actions, have never been summoned or even heard about any question related to the policies that the World Hepatitis Alliance should follow, be them of objectives, writing of the information to be released or structuring of campaigns
4 - PATENTS POLICY;
Personally, I have always taken an open and public stand against patent infringement. I believe patents can be negotiated, acquired, but never infringed unilaterally because we would then be paralyzing research made by the pharmaceutical industry, responsible for the research of almost 100% of new drugs. The search for support of underdeveloped countries favorable to patents infringement puts me in a very uncomfortable position as to the direction WHA may take. At the same time, asking Brazil to remove the item from the agenda seems like a contradictory attitude since Brazil is trying to get the support of these very same countries at the World Health Organization.
5 - EXPENSE REPORT
Ever since completing two years of activities I have been asking WHA to publicly release, on the internet, detailed expense reports declaring all funds received from sponsors and specifying expenditures with each event or action taken, be them directly or indirectly as the outsourcing of services, as well as the amount spent on transportation, hotel accommodation and travel expenses for each individual. So far, nothing has been done and I totally disagree with that.
6- FINAL POINT
As a final point, to further exemplify why it is impossible for me to keep working, there was an e-mail, dated September 1st 2009, signed by the World Hepatitis Alliance and sent to all non-governmental organizations of the region ,that reads " It's important to highlight that the representative has no executive power - that is, the role of these agents is not to exercise control over their activities." Such attitude totally demoralizes the performance of vice-presidents, who became mere decorative figures. Nowadays, each region uses an employee from the advertisement agency they have hired to do contacts. In the case of Latin America they have chosen the secretary of WHA. For moral and ethical reasons I can not remain in the position as a decorative figure, just for the status quo.
The manner in which the text was released by the World Hepatitis Alliance demoralizes and discredits my activities in South America for it was commented and interpreted as a loss of confidence by the World Hepatitis Association in myself.
For moral and ethic principles I refuse to remain in the position, as a mere decorative figure, just for the sake of the "status quo"..
I hereby present my most vehement protest against the extremely inelegant and disrespectful attitude of the World Hepatitis Alliance.
These are the six main points that I disagree with and that are totally contrary to my conduct during the 12 years of fight against hepatitis. For these reasons I am irrevocably resigning from the position of vice-president for Latin America, having no liability for future actions of the World Hepatitis Alliance.
I think it is also suitable and correct for this particular circumstance, not as justification, to enumerate a few positive points of my performance until the present date:
1- I helped forming the World Hepatitis Alliance and have actively participated in it for the past two years. My objective has been to reunite patients associations from all over the world. Unfortunately, my objective has not been completely achieved. Less than 200 non-governmental organizations participate worldwide and the Latin American area, which was coordinated by myself, reunited one third of the total associated groups.
2- The 19th of May was first held by a small number of groups in Brazil in the year 2000, sadly, the World Hepatitis Alliance has always omitted this fact and took the merit for it.
3 - It was because of Latin America, more precisely because of the wok done at the Ministério da Saúde do Brasil ( Brazil's Ministry of Health) that Brazil accepted to present the proposition at the World Health Organization for the 19th of May to be declared World Hepatitis Day. If it weren't for the work of the non-governmental organizations of Brazil no proposition would have been presented at the World Health organization for the general assembly of 2009.
4- It was because of the initiative of the groups of the area that the pan-American Health Organization now supports the establishment of the date and it was the only regional organ of OMS that manifested in a positive way in that respect.
5- Brazil represented 40% to 50% of the total number of events held in May 2009 in the whole world, and had more media repercussion than any other country or region in the planet.
I also want to express my gratitude to all patients, non-governmental organizations, medical societies, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, researchers and public officials who have helped ,during the past two years, make Latin America an example for the world.
I will continue the work I have been doing for the last twelve years representing the Grupo Otimismo de Apoio ao Portador de Hepatite - Optimism Group of Support to Hepatitis Patients.
Carlos Varaldo
Grupo Otimismo
hepato@hepato.com
www.hepato.com
Carlos Varaldo e o Grupo Otimismo declaram não possuir conflitos de interesse com eventuais patrocinadores das diversas atividades.
Aviso legal: As informações deste texto são meramente informativas e não podem ser consideradas nem utilizadas como indicação medica. É permitida a utilização das informações contidas nesta mensagem desde que citada a fonte como retiradas de WWW.HEPATO.COM
O Grupo Otimismo e afiliado a AIGA - ALIANÇA INDEPENDENTE DOS GRUPOS DE APOIO - www.aigabrasil.org
Last updated 30.5.2010
