Gates Urges Rich Countries Not to Cut Health Aid

NEW DELHI(Reuters) – Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Wednesday said he wasworried the global financial crisis he says could last two to threeyears might drive rich countries to cut back spending on health aid forthe developing world.

Echoing comments made last week by U.N. chief Ban Ki-Moon, thebillionaire philanthropist said the world’s poorest people will sufferthe most during the economic slowdown, and said a "strong voice" wasneeded to keep them a global priority.

"We certainly are concerned that some of the rich world governmentscould either reduce their increase or even cut back the amount theyspend on these issues," Gates said in India’s capital.

"We have to admit that getting that generosity gets even more challenging when there’s tough economic times."

Gates said he expected the United States to undergo a period of"economic contraction" for two to three years as a result of a meltdownin the housing market and heavy consumer debt.

Gates was optimistic about the newly elected American president Barack Obama‘sefforts to tackle global health issues, saying Obama has "shown a lotof interest" and would "drive improvements in those areas."

Gates is on a visit to India on behalf of his charitable foundationto tackle health issues, focusing on polio eradication and fightingHIV/AIDS.

Meeting with Indian health officials and polio experts, Gates saidhe was confident polio can be successfully eradicated with Indialeading the way.

Gates called for increased government spending on health and urgedIndian health officials to consider using innovative approaches such asinjection vaccines to tackle the crippling disease.

While a lot more expensive and trickier to administer, the injectedIPV vaccine could be used in addition to oral vaccines to stop thespread of polio in high-risk areas.

Oral vaccines have not proven to be as effective in India aselsewhere, a problem which some researchers suspect is down to poorsanitation and a higher presence of other diseases that stop thevaccine working properly.

A world effort to beat polio has succeeded in slashing the number ofcases by 99 percent over the past two decades, but the disease is stillendemic in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed more than $17billion in grants since it began in 1994, and has given hundreds ofmillions of dollars in a global campaign to eradicate polio.

(Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Sanjeev Miglani)