Bill Gates Foundation: "We won't stop"

Index.hr reminds that this very foundation has been under criticism for years for being too powerful and influential in global health, including the World Health Organization, without assuming proportionate responsibility.
In an annual letter released Tuesday, the agency's CEO, Mark Suzman, responded to those criticisms while also announcing that it will spend $8.3 billion this year, its most ever.
"It is not right that a private philanthropic organization is one of the largest financiers of global health efforts," Suzman said, adding that states should be the leaders.
"But make no mistake - where there are solutions to save and improve people's lives, we will be there. We will not stop using our influence and our money to find solutions".
Suzman said the foundation's goal is not to tell the WHO and other health organizations what they should do, but to offer them different options and data so they can make key decisions.
Bill Gates, the tech billionaire who founded the foundation, defended it against accusations that the huge amount of money gives it undue influence on world development. Along with investments aimed at eradicating diseases such as malaria and polio, the Gates Foundation is the WHO's second largest donor, according to official figures.
This is one of the issues that critics have regularly highlighted, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I would like to see many more governments overtake us on that list because that would mean more lives saved," Suzman concluded.