UK to host first ever G8 dementia summit

Health ministers from across the world will flock to London in December for the first ever G8 summit on dementia.
The Department of Health has today unveiled David Cameron’s ambitious plans to tackle the condition on an international level.

The Prime Minister and Health Minister Jeremy Hunt have invited health ministers from G8 countries, including Canada, France and the USA, to attend a special summit in London on 11 December, to discuss how they can co-ordinate efforts to tackle the condition, which currently affects 800,000 people in the UK and 35.6m worldwide.

They also want to examine effective therapies, agree a new international approach to dementia research and breakdown barriers between companies, researchers and clinicians to ensure a new level of co-operation they feel is needed to reach goals faster.

Speaking about the summit, Mr Hunt said: “Globally there is a new case of dementia every four seconds, and by 2020 we will see nearly 70 million people living with the condition.

“Dementia requires long-term health and social care support that can be hugely expensive. Currently 70 per cent of the global cost is incurred in medically advanced nations like Western Europe and North America, but nearly 60 per cent of people with the condition live in developing countries. As their populations grow and age, the pressure on their services and budgets will inevitably increase.

“This is a global challenge and one which is set to intensify. While we continue to pursue tomorrow’s cures, it is critical now more than ever to pay serious attention to what we can do to reduce the average number of years living with the condition. The G8 today have a unique chance to come together to help people manage dementia better, lead healthier lives and deliver real improvements in care and substantial economic savings.”

Today’s announcement cements David Cameron’s commitment to tackling dementia. In March last year, he launched his Dementia Challenge, which aims to fight the condition while making a difference to those diagnosed with dementia, their families and carers. By 2015 the Government will have increased funding on dementia research to around £66m.

The plans for the summit have been welcomed by George McNamara, head of policy and public affairs at the Alzheimer’s Society, who said: “Dementia is a global challenge. It is staggering that worldwide, there are more clinical trials into hayfever than there are into some of the most common forms of dementia. Stepping up the global drive for a cure and better treatments must be a key priority.

“This summit is a huge opportunity to break down barriers and lead a global effort to defeat dementia but needs to be the start of clear action and commitments rather than just a one off. By 2021, a million people in the UK alone will have dementia, which costs the British economy £23bn a year. We simply cannot afford to delay.”