A new type of help for the poorest was created by the Governments of the countries that integrate the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). According to the text, group collaboration occurred at a rate ten times higher than the one observed in the G7 – which brings together the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada – from 2005 to 2010. The conclusion is in a report from the International Organization Global Health Strategies initiatives (GHSi) – released on April 26, in New Delhi, India – where the Bloc’s political leaders will gather until the end of the week. The document also informs that the Brics countries have created models for international cooperation. Although developed countries are primarily responsible for a larger volume in terms of international cooperation, the study reports that the breadth of the efforts of the Brics in terms of foreign aid have accompanied the rapid growth of their economies. The document also reports that the Brics innovates by using resources to improve the health situation in the world’s poorest countries. As an example, the document cites the decision of the Government of Brazil – that was one of the pioneers in the treatment of HIV/aids – to support the construction, in Mozambique, of a factory to produce antiretroviral drugs. The report estimates that Brazil’s spends with foreign aid have been between US$ 400 million and US$ 1.2 billion in 2010 (since the country does not disclose annual numbers). Russia would have disbursed about US$ 500 million in the same year, while India would have spent US$ 680 million, China, US$ 3.9 billion, and South Africa, US$ 150 million. According to the text, the vaccine manufacturers and generic medicines from India also had a key role in reducing prices paid by the poorest countries for these products. However, the text recognizes that the Brics still faces its own challenges in relation to their health systems. In the 4th Summit of the Brics, the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, will present the proposal to establish a bank of development for the block. The idea is that the institution would be engaged in investments in infrastructure and development projects in poor nations. The creation process is expected to occur in the long term.
