The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Colombia Business Council (USCBC) and the Global Initiative on Health and the Economy (GIHE) hosted a Public-Private Partnership Forum to Advance Resilient Health Systems in Colombia in Bogota, Colombia on August 10.
The event convened leaders from government, academia, civil society, and the business community to focus on the importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a tool to strengthen the health of communities, and the role of the private sector in building more sustainable and resilient health systems.
The private sector is leading the charge in creating sustainable and resilient heath systems, and in this spotlight series, we hear from business leaders about their company’s impact in Colombia.
Today’s sponsor spotlight is on Natalia Granados, General Manager in Colombia, Gilead
Q: How is your company contributing to advancing health in Colombia, especially in underserved communities?
As a company, we contribute from the building of strategies to the programs that allow strengthening the capacities of health professionals to provide better care to patients.
Let me give you some examples:
- We facilitate a group of HIV Experts, along with 4 Civil Society Organizations to make a full and updated diagnose the situation of HIV in Colombia. This has allowed us to put HIV on the country's public agenda, understand the needs of patients, join forces with the government, service providers and other stakeholders to propose and implement innovative projects to improve the health of HIV patients.
- We launched “Que no C Esconda de Ti”, a campaign that has been running for two years in the country for raising awareness on Hepatitis C by promoting diagnosis, treatment, and cure. We have reached many patients and today we are changing their lives.
- We participated in the Tattoo Music Fest, an incredible rock festival where we invite people to get tested for hepatitis C and have the chance to explain music lovers, information, symptoms, risks and how to prevent this disease.
- We launched HepCampus an amazing and very useful platform to educate physicians about Hepatitis C and facilitate the patients journey to the cure.
Q: Where does your company see the greatest opportunity for working in partnership with stakeholders to enhance sustainable access to health products and services?
For Gilead, our goal is to always contribute to public health. Therefore, the collaborative work between the private and public sector is a pillar to strengthen access to innovative products for Colombians. For our company, getting to work with different stakeholders is a great purpose to keep eliminating barriers for patients, especially in hepatitis C and HIV. Gilead is always ready to work together with local governments so we can contribute to the countries in reaching their public health goals. We know that together we are much stronger and that we can also offer better options to increase access.
Q: What will be your company’s legacy in Colombia?
Our main purpose is to be Colombia’s health ally, and by this, I mean to continue working with key health players in succeeding our commitment of improving the lives of patients with diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis and cancer through innovation and research, offering them the possibility to have a better life.
About the authors
Megan Bridges
Megan Bridges is Senior Manager for the Americas at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and supports the U.S.-Colombia Business Council, U.S.-Mexico Economic Council, U.S.-Canada Business Initiative, and Coalition for the Rule of Law in Global Markets.
