Bill Gates, "Impatient Optimist" on Health

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Continues Push for HIV, Malaria Prevention and Treatment in Africa

(CNET)  This story was written by CNET's Ina Fried

Describing both the need for improvements in global health and the technologies that could create those gains, Bill Gates on Tuesday characterized himself as an "impatient optimist."

For those that know him, both terms describe him well.

In the 15 months since he left full-time work at Microsoft, Gates has focused on his philanthropic efforts--which focus on areas where there is great suffering as well as the means to alleviate that suffering through attention and increased resources. But, too often, change is not coming quickly enough.

"When it comes to global health, Bill and I are optimists--but we're impatient optimists," Melinda Gates said in a statement ahead of a speech on Tuesday. "The world is getting better, but it's not getting better for everyone, and it's not getting better fast enough."

Melinda Gates pointed to a program in South Africa where antiviral treatments are helping those living with HIV, but she said that for every two getting the treatment, there are five others that are missing out.

"That's the kind of thing that makes us impatient optimists," she said.

In the Washington, D.C. address, carried live over the Internet, the Gateses spoke of areas where change is taking place, pointing to some of the "Living Proof" success stories that his foundation has highlighted on its Web site recently.

In his speech, Bill Gates noted that the U.S. government has increased its spending on global health each of the last 10 years and said that the investment is paying off.

"We're here to say two words you don't often hear about government programs," Bill Gates said. "Thank you."

He pointed to what he called the most beautiful picture he had ever seen--a chart of childhood deaths worldwide that shows death falling by more than half since 1960, when 20 million kids a year died annually.

Bill Gates called on policymakers to commit to reducing by nearly half the number of children that die each year, from the present level of 9 million per year to less than 5 million by 2025.

"U.S. support has already helped to reduce deaths of young children by more than 50 percent in the past 50 years," Bill Gates said in a statement ahead of the speech. "If we keep up our commitment, it's possible to cut child mortality in half again--just 15 years from now. What's more, we can do it with proven interventions that already exist."

In particular, the Gateses advocate a focus on fighting malaria, vaccinating 90 percent of children against preventable diseases, providing basic health services to three quarters of the world's pregnant women and newborns, and treating diarrhea and pneumonia.

Despite the global economic challenges, the foundation has increased its own spending this year.

Bill and Melinda Gates spoke earlier on Tuesday on ABC's World News Tonight, talking about the role that just a couple of new vaccines can have in saving millions of lives.

And, while most of his time is going toward his foundation work, Bill Gates said he still spends time at his other job--at Microsoft.

"I love the work that Microsoft does," Bill Gates said in an excerpt of the interview posted to ABC's Web site. "I love the magic of software."

[patjeanes]

This is the Problem with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. They have pumped billions and millions into so many projects around the world, but when asked
to help fund a project noteworthy of saveing hundreds of thousands of jobs in America they stiffen up like a brick. If Bill Gates were to run for president of India he would more than likely win the election do to his donations in the tech industry. As far as malaria in some far off country we have vaccines for this already,

But Mr. Gates has fed of the American public for many years and not given a fraction of what he has given to any one country. Mr Gates seems to have forgotten who pays for his meal ticket. If he would concentrate on creating jobs in this country instead of paying for foriegn students to come to this country for education for funding scholorships overseas he could toss a few nickels back into America

[FauxNews]

Thanks for publishing this article. In today?s News scene, saving 20 million lives gets only a fraction of the news coverage given to a boy who didn?t ride in a balloon. CBS should keep the good news and important issues like this on the front cover. Thanks again.

[Likhyani]

The Bill and Malinda Gates foundation money, of course, have made a significant difference in lives of children in Africa, but as Bill Gates said, to the effect, that the problems are so enormous that who knows if these poor countries will ever become self sufficient.
I would encourage readers to visit www.CrushPovertyNow.net web site which talks about putting the poor on their feet ground up, and has links to six video clips, with on-the-ground interviews, to illustrate this concept. This initiative is designed to be additive to the gate's foundation or USAID programs. THANKS TO CHARLIE GIBSON FOR GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE POVERTY ISSUES IN HIS EXCELLENT INTERVIEW WITH BILL AND MALINDA GATES.

[ToolMangler1]

Bill and Melinda can help all they want, but nobody else will help them because all nations use "Illness" as a form of population control. To date, only China has 'aggressively' attacked birth control and if the rest of the world doesn't follow suit with some form of the same type program the world will soon understand the 'true' meaning of the words, "Soylent Green",