Special Topic | A healthier world – global health in the capital region

Promoting health is a global task, especially when it’s a case of preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Ideas and advances from the arena of politics, business or research with the aim of improving health worldwide are grouped together under the term of global health. There are now numerous stakeholders who are active in this field in the capital region.

 

 

The recent coronavirus pandemic has made clear to societies and politicians worldwide that health is a global issue that cannot simply be thought of on a national level. Containing infectious diseases in particular is an international task, whether in regard to prevention, development of stable healthcare systems or concrete measures.

Concepts that contribute to improving healthcare worldwide and fighting diseases fall under the term of global health. These are mainly developed by politicians, research institutes and NGOs. But companies and organisations from the world of business also contribute their knowledge to maintain and promote global health in different ways.

 

Hub for global health
The capital region Berlin-Brandenburg has been developing into a hub for global health for years - in politics, business and research.  

The opening of the “Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence” of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 1 September this year in Berlin constituted a big step. The aim is to pool and evaluate data there in the future, with the aim of detecting pandemics earlier, initiating containment measures in good time and coordinating them globally. Moreover, the hub should also drive innovation, with forecasting systems and risk analysis methods being developed, among other things. The founding partners include Charité and the Robert Koch Institute, which are also involved in global health outside of the hub.

 

World Health Summit
The annual “World Health Summit” (WHS) also deals with innovations and strategies for promoting global health. The strategic conference has taken place in Berlin since 2009 and demonstrates how important the city is in terms of global health. Scientists, politicians and representatives from industry and civil society come together here to promote and strengthen commitment to global health together.

This year, the WHS will take place as a hybrid event from 24 to 26 October in Berlin and digitally. Participants will address the consequences of and lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic in many ways. Climate change and its effects on global health will also play a role.

Alongside the WHS, there are also always smaller events and conferences addressing aspects of global health. The workshop “Health Economics and Pharmacoeconomics Opportunities for German – African Cooperation” hosted by the Faculty for Health Sciences Brandenburg on 30 and 31 October addresses the cooperation between Africa and Germany in healthcare, for instance.

 

Global Health Hub Germany
The Global Health Hub Germany, whose office is located in Berlin, also offers permanent networking on the topic of global health. The network brings interested parties together in working groups at events and seminars to create a permanent exchange of ideas across the sectors. Over 1,150 members, including local stakeholders such as Charité International Cooperation, HealthCapital or the Berlin Institute of Global Health, already take advantage of this opportunity.

International NGOs in the capital region
NGOs such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Wellcome Trust are also involved in global health in the capital region. Both foundations have been active internationally, for example in the development and distribution of vaccines and funding of research programmes, for many years. The Gates Foundation opened a branch in Berlin in 2018, the Wellcome Trust 2019. From this base, both support stakeholders in the region, as well as from all over Germany and Europe in their work in all matters of global health. The Wellcome Trust collaborates with the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin to translate biomedical research results into new technologies, medical devices or treatments.

Global health from the region
The BMGF works together, for example, with the company BioAnalyt, which is based in Teltow and produces simple analysis technology for food, among other things. This technology makes it possible to measure the nutrient content of food without any specialist knowledge. This is especially important for food enriched with certain nutrients to prevent deficiencies. This can promote people’s health, especially in developing countries.

The aim of the newly founded MiGenTra GmbH is to improve healthcare provision in developing countries. The subsidiary of ProBioGen and Minapharm Pharmaceuticals is connected to Minapharm’s production site in Cairo. Using know-how from Berlin, the aim is to facilitate access to important medicines for Egypt, the Middle East and Africa.

Improving healthcare worldwide is also the mission of Ada Health, which is based in Berlin. Users can use the Ada app to monitor their own state of health based on their symptoms. The app analyses the symptoms and makes suggestions on how to proceed. The developers are working together with NGOs, governments, global healthcare organisations and other companies to include Ada in the healthcare provision in disadvantaged regions.

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