“As the World Economic Forum kicks off this week in Davos, Switzerland, the importance of global health — and the health of the globe — is getting special attention,” Karl Hofmann, president and CEO of Population Services International (PSI), writes in this post in The Hill’s “Congress Blog.” He continues, “The world’s still massive bottom of the economic pyramid — some 2-3 billion people — represents a potential $5 trillion in purchasing power,” but without access to “quality health care and services, … their global economic impact suffers. Imagine if by simple investments in health, we turned these struggling individuals and families into healthy, active consumers and producers.”

“While donor and developing country governments have leadership roles to play, the graduation of so many hundreds of millions from poverty to dignity and opportunity depends substantially on the private sector,” Hofmann writes, adding, “Increasingly, leading global private sector companies are looking for the innovative partnerships with governments and non-profits in order to reach the new economic frontier at the bottom of the pyramid.” He notes that this year’s forum, themed “The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models,” will focus on “reshaping the global economy and finding solutions that will support developed and emerging economies at the same time,” and says, “Improved global health, using smart public policy and robust private sector engagement, will advance both goals” (1/24).