Reprieve for Cancer Patients as Pharmaceutical Firm Drastically Slashes cost of Medication

By Eric Akasa

Global pharmaceutical firm Pfizer International has announced an average 60 per cent drop in the cost of cancer medication in a fresh drive to combat escalating prevalence of the disease.

The price drop will apply to drugs manufactured by the company for treatment of cancer as well as pharmaceutical equipment such as machinery and other testing kits involved.

The company has also donated $200,000 through various non-governmental organizations towards fighting the scourge in Kenya.

 The drastic drop in cost of medication is widely expected to translate into increased access to cancer treatment especially among middle and low income households.

According to Dr. Enrico Liggeri Pfizer Country Manager for Nigeria and East Africa Region, the company was also enhancing partnerships with various non-governmental organizations to ensure increased access to medication especially among developing countries.

In Kenya, the company is has partnered with AMPATH in a number of programmes towards this cause.

“Our commitment is to make cancer treatment more accessible. We are doing this through partnerships with various governments, non-governmental organizations and other health sector stakeholders,” said Enrico.

 Kenya has in the recent times witnessed rising cases of cancer related deaths some involving high profile members of the society. The official attributed the rising cases of cancer to poor dietary habits especially those involving solid fats, smoking and lack of physical exercise.

 He lauded the Kenyan government for its commitment in preventing cancer adding that this commitment must be matched with long term policy documentation on how the country plans to combat cancer going forward.

 According to Prof. Othieno Abinya, an Oncologist and the Kenyatta National Hospital, access to cancer medication in the country is on a steady increase and the latest price drop by Pfizer will go a long way towards this.

 “As a country, we do not have sufficient infrastructure to handle the high prevalence of the disease. However in the recent time, concerted efforts by the government and business entities like Pfizer have seen substantial ease of access,” notes Dr. Abinya.

He advised that the government moves to decentralize cancer centres from Nairobi to the counties to increase access to medication.

Both Ministers handling health portfolios in Kenya, Prof. Anyang Nyong’o of Medical Services and Beth Mugo of Public Health are Cancer survivors, a situation Dr. Abinya says could herald a lot of government goodwill in fighting the disease.

 Both Dr. Liggeri and Dr. Abinya advised Kenyans to go for cancer testing reiterating that early detection accounts to over 70 per cent of success in treatment.

 “Most cancer cases especially those involving cervix, breast, skin and throat is treatable on early detection. It only becomes a challenge when one goes for treatment long after the disease has spread to unmanageable levels,” said Dr. Abinya.

Rotary to commit $75 million to end polio

By Eric Akasa 

 Rotary International plans to contribute US $75 million over three years to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative as part of a worldwide effort to close a $945 million funding gap that threatens to derail the 24 year-old global health effort, even as new polio cases are at an all-time low.

Rotary, which already has contributed more than $1.2 billion to stop this crippling childhood disease, will announce its new funding commitment in New York City on Sept. 27 during a special side-event on polio eradication convened by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly.

Secretary-General Ban, who has made polio eradication a top priority of his second term, is expected to issue a strong call urging UN member states to ramp up their support for the polio eradication initiative, launched in 1988 by Rotary, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The partnership now includes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundation. 

The New York event will include two panel sessions with remarks by Wilf Wilkinson, chair of The Rotary Foundation; Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation; and top leaders and heads of state from the remaining polio-endemic countries and key donor countries.  The wild poliovirus is now endemic only to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria, although other countries remain at risk for re-established cases imported from the endemics.

“It is imperative that governments step up and honor their commitments to polio eradication if we are to achieve our goal of a polio-free world,” said Wilkinson. “We are at a true tipping point, with success never closer than it is right now. We must seize the advantage by acting immediately, or risk breaking our pledge to the world’s children.” He adds.

 The urgency at the UN follows action taken in May by the World Health Assembly, which declared polio eradication to be a “programmatic emergency for global public health.” Although new polio cases are at an all-time low – fewer than 140 worldwide so far this year – the $945 million shortfall has already affected several scheduled immunization activities in polio-affected countries and could derail the entire program unless the gap is bridged. If eradication fails and polio rebounds, up to 200,000 children a year could be paralyzed.

Polio cases have plummeted by more than 99 percent since 1988, when the disease infected about 350,000 children a year. Fewer than 700 new cases were reported in 2011. Rotary and its partners have reached more than 2.5 billion children with the oral polio vaccine, preventing more than five million cases of paralysis and hundreds of thousands of pediatric deaths.

Rotary’s chief responsibilities in the initiative are fundraising and advocacy, a role of increasing importance as the end game draws near. In early September, Rotary launched a new, interactive website http://www.endpolionow.org intended to educate, activate and inspire visitors to actively support the polio eradication effort. Visitors are encouraged to sign a petition calling for world leaders to commit additional resources to close the funding gap. The e-signatures will be presented to Secretary-General Ban in New York. Site visitors can also estimate the potential dollar value they can generate by sharing the polio eradication message through social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Earlier this year, Rotary raised $228 million in new money for polio eradication in response to a $355 million challenge grant from the Gates Foundation, which promptly contributed an additional $50 million in recognition of Rotary’s commitment.

Organized Crime Trade Worth over US$30 Billion Responsible for up to 90% of Tropical Deforestation

By Eric Akasa

Between 50 to 90 per cent of logging in key tropical countries of the Amazon basin, Central Africa and South East Asia is being carried out by organized crime threatening efforts to combat climate change, deforestation, conserve wildlife and eradicate poverty.

Globally, illegal logging now accounts for between 15 and 30 per cent of the overall trade, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and INTERPOL.

Forests worldwide bind Carbon Dioxide and store it – known as Green Carbon – and help mitigate climate change. However deforestation, largely of tropical rainforests, is responsible for an estimated 17 per cent of all man-made emissions – 50 per cent more than that from ships, aviation and land transport combined.

The Rapid Response Report entitled “Green Carbon: Black Trade” says that the illegal trade, worth between US$30-100 billion annually, hampers the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) initiative – one of the principal tools for catalyzing positive environmental change, sustainable development, job creation and reducing emissions.

With the increase in organized criminal activity, INTERPOL has also noted associated crimes such as murder, violence and atrocities against indigenous forest dwellers.

The report concludes that without an internationally coordinated enforcement effort, illegal loggers and cartels will continue to shift operations from one haven to another to pursue their profitable trade at the expense of the environment, local economies and even the lives of indigenous peoples.

The report was released at the World Forest conference in Rome at an event with UN REDD, a coalition of UNEP, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

REDD and the expanded REDD+ initiative provide national and international legal frameworks, including agreements, conventions and certification schemes, to reduce illegal logging and support sustainable practices. The report said that if REDD+ is to be sustainable over the long term, payments to communities for their conservation efforts need to be higher than the returns from activities that lead to environmental degradation.

“Funding to better manage forests represents an enormous opportunity to not only address climate change but to reduce rates of deforestation, improve water supplies, cut soil erosion and generate decent green jobs in natural resource management,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director.

“Illegal logging can however undermine this effort, robbing countries and communities of a sustainable future, if the unlawful activities are more profitable than the lawful ones under REDD+,” he added.

According to the report, criminal groups are combining old-fashioned tactics such as bribes with high-tech methods such as hacking government websites. Illegal operations are also becoming more sophisticated as loggers and dealers shift activities between regions and countries to avoid local and international policing efforts.

While significant progress has been made through programmes such as REDD+, most efforts are targeted at encouraging and creating incentives for legal trade – not combatting crime. Unfortunately, current economic incentives are rarely effective in reducing collusive corruption and illegal logging activities as there is little risk of being apprehended.

“The threat posed to the environment by transnational organized crime requires a strong, effective and innovative international law enforcement response to protect these natural resources and combat the corruption and violence tied to this type of crime, which can also affect a country’s stability and security,” notes Ronald K. Noble, Secretary General of INTERPOL.

Estimates in the report that show the scale of the problem is much wider than previously thought come from improved knowledge of methods employed to launder illegal timber.

The report describes 30 ingenious ways of procuring and laundering illegal timber. Primary methods include falsification of logging permits, bribes to obtain permits (up to US$50,000 for a single permit in some countries), logging beyond concessions and hacking government websites to obtain or change electronic permits.

One new way to launder millions of cubic metres of wood is to mix it with legally cut timber and process it and launder it through saw, paper, pulp and board mills. Another big scam involves selling timber and wood originating from wild forests as plantation timber – often with government subsidies for plantations.

In the report, Specific examples of illegal activity include the following:

Brazilian authorities in 2008 said that hackers working for illegal logging cartels in the Brazilian state of Pará gained access to transport and logging permits, allowing the theft of an estimated 1.7 million cubic metres of forest. A Brazilian federal prosecutor accused 107 companies, 30 ring leaders and some 200 individuals of involvement, and sued these companies for almost US$1.1 billion.
In 2009 another Brazilian federal prosecutor investigated a scam allegedly involving some 3,000 companies in the timber sector, which illegal timber “eco-certified” and exported to the US, EU and Asia.
In Indonesia, the amount of logs allegedly produced through plantations increased from 3.7 million cubic metres in 2000 to over 22 million in 2008. UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates suggested that less than half of the plantations actually existed, reflecting a massive organized laundering operation.
In Kalimantan, Indonesia, a bribe for a logging permit of around 20 km² costs US$ 25-30,000. Import-export discrepancies suggest as much as a threefold difference in claims between officially exported and actually imported timber between Kalimantan and Malaysia – suggesting massive tax fraud.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), over 200 rangers in the Virunga National Park, famous for its gorillas, have been killed over the last decade defending the park boundaries against militias operating a charcoal trade estimated at over US$28 million annually.
In Uganda, the report describes incidences of military personnel escorting loggers through border check points from the DRC to bring high-value illegal timber onto local markets for sale.

A much-heralded apparent decline in illegal logging in the 2000s was in fact a shift from obvious activity to more advanced laundering operations by organized criminals, the report adds. In many cases, a five–fold increase in timber sold as “plantation wood” occurred in the years following law enforcement crack-downs.

In several instances, illegal timber transported through border crossings and harbours accounted for up to 30 times the official volumes. However, this laundering and smuggling of timber will enable law enforcement to act more firmly, as tax fraud is more strictly enforced than environmental laws that are often weak.

Much of the laundering is made possible by large flows of investment funds based in the EU, US and Asia into companies involved in the crime, including in establishing plantation operations with the sole purpose of laundering illegally cut timber.

In many cases, corrupt officials, local military and police emerge with revenues up to ten times that available through available legal pursuits. This seriously undermines much needed investments in sustainable forest operations and alternative livelihood incentives.

INTERPOL and UNEP, through its GRID Arendal centre in Norway, have established a pilot-project called LEAF (Law Enforcement Assistance to Forests) funded by the Norwegian Government agency NORAD to develop an international system to combat organized crime in close collaboration with key partners.

To complement and expand on such efforts, the report makes the following key recommendations:
Strengthen and consider funding opportunities for a fully-fledged LEAF programme under INTERPOL and UNEP, in close collaboration with REDD+, the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) and all relevant partners ,Increase national investigative and operational capacities through training on transnational environmental crime ,Centralize all land-clearing permits to one national register, which will greatly facilitate transparency and investigation ,Classify geographic regions based on suspected degree of illegality and restrict flows of timber and wood products from such areas including shipping ,Encourage tax fraud investigations with a particular focus on plantations and mills and ,Reduce investment attractiveness in forests enterprises active in regions identified as areas of illegal logging by implementing an international INTERPOL-based rating system of companies extracting, operating in or buying from regions with a high degree of illegal activity.

Davis and Shirtliff Head on towards MDG 7

By Eric Akasa

As the Kenya Coast continues to experience challenges of water shortages due to an ever growing population in a province that is 80 per cent semi- arid, coastal businesses are investing in new ways of getting constant clean water supply.

“We have been buying a truck of 100,000 litres of water daily at Sh5, 600, but the prices have kept rising to unsustainable levels,” said Mr. Kemboi, the Chief Engineer at Mombasa Beach Hotel, which has now invested in a Sh6m reverse osmosis plant from Davis and Shirtliff to desalinate sea water.

 Davis and Shirtliff, the country's leading water and energy equipment supplier, which already had four branches at the Coast, is also now opening a new branch at Nyali, driven by the surging coastal demand.

 The company's other coastal branches are in Lamu, Malindi, Diani and Mombasa town, offering water treatment, borehole services and generators, swimming pool services, water pumps and solar equipments.

“We are selling a wide range of our locally assembled desalination equipments using reverse osmosis technology, from 12litres/hr under sink reverse osmosis units for domestic use to 10,000litres/hr units for large scale use,” said Mr. Abdalla Ibrahim, manager at the new Nyali branch.

 Mr. Abdalla confirms that since opening they have recorded high demand of the Dayliff water treatment products and services including reverse osmosis plant, ultraviolet treatment units, manual water softeners, chemical dosing pumps, and swimming pool chemicals and other equipment related to their water business.

Shortages of water at the Kenya coast has been a prolonged problem, but has become steadily more severe, with recent data from the Coast Water and Sewerage Board indicating dwindling supplies of 149m litres per day against a daily demand double the figure at 364m litres per day.

Currently, a litre of the cheapest brand of mineral water costs Sh35 to Sh40 in Mombasa while upmarket brands are now more expensive than a litre of kerosene (Sh76.87).

 “Mombasa has been experiencing tremendous developments in the hospitality and property industry, hence the continued strain on the few water resources available,” said Mohamed Farook, the General Manager of Davis and Shirtliff Coast.

 The Coast Water and Services Board confirm that 60 per cent of their supply comes from the Baricho Well Field and 24 per cent from the Mzima Springs, which are 220km away from Mombasa and constantly affected by vandalism of pipes and air valves.

  “As developments, often of multi-storeyed buildings with large water storage tanks, continue to emerge with no additional water sources, residents needs to adopt new methods to ensure continued water supply, like desalinating their own water from boreholes or harvesting and treating rain water," said Mr Farook.

 In addition to the supply of water pumps, boreholes, and water treatment solutions, Davis and Shirtliff also leads in the supply of solar products and generators under the exclusive Dayliff brand fully supported with technical selection advice and service backup.

 Davis and Shirtliff Limited is a Kenyan multinational, operating through a network of Kenyan branches and regional subsidiaries in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Founded in Kenya in 1946, it is the leading supplier of water related and alternative energy equipment in East Africa.

Jubilee sponsers insurance for overseas entries in the Concours d’Elegance

 By Eric Akasa

 For the seventh successive year, East Africa’s largest composite insurer, Jubilee Insurance will provide insurance cover for the motorcycles entered by overseas competitors in the 2012 CBA Africa Concours d’Elegance. The event, organised by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club, will be held at the Nairobi Racecourse on September 30th.

The Concours insurance sponsorship agreement was signed by Patrick Tumbo, the Jubilee Insurance Kenya Chief Executive Officer and Bob Dewar, the Chairman of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club.

 “Jubilee is delighted to be associated with the Concours d’Elegance for yet another year when the event continues to grow its ranking internationally. This sponsorship is in line with Jubilee’s expansion plans to become the most important insurer in Africa.” Said Mr. Tumbo.

The motorcycles of overseas competitors will be covered free of charge by Jubilee Insurance while they are in transit and in Nairobi for this year’s Concours.  These valuable machines from South Africa include a 1936 AJS entered by Gavin Walton and a 1977 Ducati of Bevan Beckmann.

Jubilee Insurance is the largest composite insurer, and the largest General insurer and Medical insurer in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and in East Africa. Jubilee is also the leader in Pensions in Kenya and East Africa, and has other offices in Burundi and Mauritius. The insurer serves over 300,000 customers across the region.

“For several years the Concours has attracted car and motorcycle competitors from outside Kenya, and Jubilee is happy to provide complimentary insurance cover to strengthen the international status of Kenya’s classiest motor sport event,” added Mr Tumbo.

The CBA Africa Concours d’Elegance is the classiest event on the Kenya Motor Sports Federation calendar. The 2012 edition will be the 42^nd annual Concours organised by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (Kenya). The event has Africa continental status for cars and motorcycles and has been an FIM.AFRICA recognised and sanctioned event since 2006. The organizers have already received 70 car and 36 bike entries for this year’s Concours.

The Concours rewards owners of well-kept cars and motorcycles.  The event is also a social occasion and fun filled family day, with the centre piece being judging of the 70 classic and vintage cars and 40 motorcycles under regulations approved by the Kenya Motor Sport Federation (KMSF).