09.07.10
World’s Leading Medical Journal (The Lancet) Slams Bill Gates for Supporting Tobacco Industry
Summary: Professor Simon Chapman explains why Gates does a disservice to the population along with Carlos Slim
IT IS A COMMONLY-KNOWN fact that the Gates Foundation has come under fire on numerous occasions for harming the very same people it purports to be helping. Basically, Gates tends to invest in the companies that cause harm to people whom he claims to care about. When the issue are raised, the foundation does nothing about it, it doesn’t even review its portfolio (for-profit but exempted from tax).
“When the issue are raised, the foundation does nothing about it, it doesn’t even review its portfolio (for-profit but exempted from tax).”A few month ago we gave one such example from Nigeria. Polio conflict exists there because Gates invests in companies which increase the chances of polio in Nigerian children. At the same time he invests in and promotes drugs or vaccinations that battle against polio (there was even an article about it some days ago). Why play for both sides?
Likewise, several months ago Gates got exposed for his support of Big Tobacco [1, 2] (all while pretending to work on tobacco prevention). It’s rather surreal, is it not? But that’s just what happened.
Following the tobacco scandal which the foundation escaped as soon it blew over, PR problems are happening again:
Another faux pas for the Gates Foundation on tobacco issues
This is the second faux pas for the Gates Foundation on tobacco issues this year. Are the programme officers on tobacco asleep at the wheel? Or is Tachi?
This is not gutter journalism. This comment was published in The Lancet, the world’s leading medical journal.
Here is the full text (subscription required) and from the article we have:
Gates’ decision just 2 months later to partner with Slim is plainly inconsistent. He apparently did not know of McDougall’s appointment when he funded the IDRC. He might well not have known about Slim’s tobacco connections when he joined with him in the Latam project. He must know now.
For those without access to the journal, here are news articles about it:
• “Australian academic calls out Bill Gates (also in Sydney’s paper)
An Australian academic and anti-tobacco campaigner has called out Bill Gates for his “plainly inconsistent” philanthropic partnership with another of the world’s richest men, who has links to a tobacco company.
Writing in the influential medical journal The Lancet, Professor Simon Chapman points to Mr Gates’ move in April to cancel a grant awarded to a Canada-based research group on discovery of its link to Imperial Tobacco Canada.
Prof Chapman said the Microsoft founder should similarly rethink his involvement in the “Latam health project”, a partnership announced in June in which Gates and Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim will each provide $US50 million ($A56.8 million) for child health initiatives.
• Aussie Academic Campaigner Challenges Gates’ Commitment towards Tobacco Control Projects
In the article that had been published in the medical journal, The Lancet, Professor Simon Chapman has stated that Gates’ plan upon partnering with one of the world’s wealthy men, who has strong links with a tobacco firm, was clearly contradictory.
He wrote that Bill Gates’ move in the month of April to call off a grant that had been awarded to a research group based in Canada, which was discovered by him that it had links with a tobacco firm, was incoherent with the announcement that he made in June to offer funds in cooperation, amounting $US50 million for vaccination project with Mexico’s Carlos Slim Helú.
• Academic Challenges Gates Philanthropy & Tobacco Connection
An Australian academic and anti-tobacco campaigner has challenged US billionaire and philanthropist, Bill Gates’ commitment to his tobacco control projects.
In an article published in the medical journal, The Lancet, Professor Simon Chapman says Gates’ decision to partner with one of the world’s richest men, who has links to a tobacco company is “plainly inconsistent” with his stand on funding tobacco-control projects.
Professor Chapman is a Director of Research at the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
This probably won’t be the last time we hear about this controversy. █
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