Abstract
Equatorial Guinea, the most prosperous country in Africa, still bears a large malaria burden. With massive wealth from oil reserves, and nearly half its population living in island ecotypes favourable for malaria control, only poor governance can explain continued parasite burden. By financially backing the country's dictator and other officials through illicit payments, the oil company ExxonMobil contributed to the state's failure. Now ExxonMobil, having helped perpetuate malaria in Equatorial Guinea, gives money to non-governmental organizations, charitable foundations, and universities to advocate for and undertake malaria work. How, and on what terms, can public health engage with such an actor? We discuss challenges in the identification and management of conflicts of interest in public health activities. We reviewed the business and foundation activities of ExxonMobil and surveyed organizations that received ExxonMobil money about their conflict of interest policies. Reforms in ExxonMobil's business practices, as well as its charitable structure, and reforms in the way public health groups screen and manage conflicts of interest are needed to ensure that any relationship ultimately improves the health of citizens.
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Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to Sanjay Basu and David Stuckler for their support and guidance on investigating conflicts of interest. Elizabeth Rogawski, Anne Starling, Dinsha Mistree, Matthew Price, Matt Murrill, and Steve Wing provided helpful comments.
NKS is supported by a fellowship from the Paul and Daisy Soros Foundation and NIH Medical Scientist Training Program grant GM008719.
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The author explores a risky alliance between a petroleum giant and public health programs where the corporation is, at the same time a donor to the program against malaria and a contributing factor in the persistence of malaria in Equatorial Guinea.
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Shah, N. Corporate philanthropy and conflicts of interest in public health: ExxonMobil, Equatorial Guinea, and malaria. J Public Health Pol 34, 121–136 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2012.60
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2012.60