The politics of national intellectual property policy design and the provision of health services in South Africa
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2015-09
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South African Intellectual Property Law Journal
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Abstract
The position that states take in the international sphere on health and
intellectual property (IP) policy matters is influenced by their national
experiences and positions. Similarly, the national arena is influenced by global
health diplomacy. This paper seeks to examine how this iterative relationship
has played out in South Africa in relation to patents, pharmaceuticals and
access to medicines. It has been shown how the main African health
diplomacy perspectives may be classified around the narratives of ‘unity
and ubuntu’, ‘liberation ethic and demands of nationhood’ and ‘development
aid or development policy’. This paper focuses on how these narratives have found expression in national discourse.
In particular, it considers a recent interchange between the Minister of Health
and a pharmaceutical company association in relation to their views on the
draft National Intellectual Property (IP) Policy’s chapter on IP and public
health, which commonly became known as "PharmaGate". The paper utilises discourse analysis methodology to consider this public discourse which was disseminated via radio stations and television, as well as print and digital media.
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Reference:
Ncube, C. 2015-09. The politics of national intellectual property policy design and the provision of health services in South Africa. South African Intellectual Property Law Journal. 3; 15 - 39.