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Running our business responsibly and playing our part in the community
Responsibility: Now wash your hands?
We will never wash our hands of our responsibilities. Ours is a big business with the potential to make an impact not only in the communities where we operate but in the wider world too. Through a range of global health programmes we aim to play our part to the full.
The race
Every year, over 2.2 million people
globally die because of diarrhoeal
disease (source: WHO). Most of them
are children. Most live in developing
countries. And it’s fair to say that for
many the real cause of death is actually
ignorance of basic sanitation and
personal hygiene. Even in those
instances where the diarrhoea is
not fatal, it has a knock-on effect
on the potential for the child to lift
themselves out of poverty, simply
by missing too many days of school
because of illness.
According to the British Government’s Department for International Development, “More investment in health services, infrastructure and education is required to cut the numbers of young children dying from preventable diseases.”
The problems caused by diarrhoea are not restricted to what many Westerners would think of as the developing world. There are also challenges in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
The response
Sometimes it’s the simple things, such
as basic education, that make the
greatest difference.
For example, although hand-washing is something that most of us take for granted, it is not common practice throughout the world.
PHASE (Personal Hygiene And Sanitation Education) is a simple hand-washing programme for school children that saves lives. It improves personal hygiene and sanitation practices by helping children understand how germs and parasites spread and cause diseases. The children take the lessons home, bringing improved health to the rest of the family. PHASE began in 1998 and was first implemented in Kenya, shortly followed by Nicaragua, Peru, Uganda, Zambia and Bangladesh, with startling results.
During 2006, the project moved into Mexico and Tajikistan for the first time, working with Save the Children. For many, Mexico is seen as a tourist destination, a near-neighbour of the richest nation on Earth. Yet diarrhoea is a real problem and we anticipate that PHASE will have a significant impact on lowering the incidence of the disease and also improving school attendance figures.
In the last 12 months, we also agreed funding to initiate a PHASE project in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, as well as in Bolivia, for 2007.
Running our business responsibly and playing our part in the community
We are committed to making a real difference where we can
In 2006, our global community investment activities were valued at £302 million, equivalent to 3.9 per cent of our profit before tax, down from £380 million in 2005. The reduction was primarily due to the introduction of a new Medicare prescription drug benefit in the US, which meant fewer patients needed to rely on our patient assistance programmes (see the Improving access to medicines section).
In 2006, our global community investment activities were valued at £302 million
In the UK, we supported over 100 organisations in health, medical research, science education, the arts and the environment. In North America, we focused on improving public education and access to better healthcare for children and seniors.
We are pleased to have been recognised for our efforts, having received the prestigious Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Award 2006 from the US-based Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP).
Global health programmes
“During 2006, we ran programmes in more than 100 countries,” says Justine Frain, VP Global Community Partnerships. “In August we passed an important milestone in our most far-reaching and long-term programme, with the donation of our 500 millionth treatment to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF), which is sometimes known as elephantiasis. This devastating disease causes symptoms such as swollen legs, arms and genitals as well as debilitating fevers and pain.”
Our LF programme is an ambitious 20-year partnership with the WHO and our donation of albendazole will exceed 6 billion tablets. In May we were delighted to receive the 2006 World Business Award from the International Chamber of Commerce for our work on LF.
“Positive Action is another long-term programme that’s making a real difference to the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS,” adds Justine. “We focus on strengthening communities to help them look after people living with HIV and AIDS. In 2006, we supported 19 programmes in 17 countries.”
The GSK African Malaria Partnership continues to support the battle against a disease that kills a child every 30 seconds. In 2006, our Mobilising for Malaria advocacy initiative launched national Coalitions Against Malaria in the UK, France, Belgium, Ethiopia and Cameroon to generate greater awareness, political commitment and sustained funding to fight the disease.
Beyond these disease programmes, we have a wide range of partnerships focused on health and education. Examples include the Barretstown camp in Ireland, where seriously ill children can enjoy therapeutic recreation, and a travelling science laboratory in North Carolina.
Running our business responsibly
At GSK, corporate responsibility is built-in, not a bolt-on. We want to run the business in a way that society considers responsible.
“Achieving this in everything we do is challenging,” says Julia King, VP Corporate Responsibility. “Clearly, our core business makes a valuable contribution to society – but that doesn’t mean we can ignore any of the issues associated with the research, manufacture and sale of medicines.”
Every year, we report on progress in upholding our responsibility principles, including improving access to medicines, ethical business practices and caring for the environment. Our Corporate Responsibility Report 2006 is available, from the end of March 2007, at www.gsk.com.
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Delivering education
Kim Thi Huyen has taken part in a GSK-sponsored midwifery training programme for ethnic minorities in Vietnam. Aged 25, Huyen lives in a village in Vinh Long province.
“Vietnam’s ethnic minorities have low standards of living, healthcare and education. Many are superstitious, believing customs which say that delivery must be handled by husbands or relatives. In some villages they even believe that when the mother dies in childbirth, the baby must also be buried as it’s a sign of evil. It’s difficult to convince them to go for prenatal check-ups, vaccinations or delivery at the healthcare centres or hospitals.
“More than 300 women have already been trained and become midwives through this four-month training programme, which includes basic healthcare for mothers and newborns as well as birth control. GSK is the only sponsor and they support our training, accommodation costs and daily expenses while we’re in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as post-training allowances.
“After my training, I’ll use our ethnic language to explain to the people in the villages the importance and benefits of maternity healthcare. I believe that I can help mothers understand how important this is for themselves and their children. Eventually, I think we can help to reduce mortality among newborns.”
