The debate around enabling the world's poorest people to acquire life-saving medications is coming to a head. This week, Parliament votes on a bill that will modify Canada's Access to Medications Regime (CAMR). If the bill becomes law, it will enable Canadian generic manufacturers to produce and sell medications that are currently under patent protection to developing countries. On the surface this makes sense. But are patents really the obstacle proponents of the bill claim to enabling the poor to access drugs for AIDS and other diseases?

Every year, the World Health Organization (WHO) convenes an independent panel of experts, chosen equally from developing and developed countries, to draw up a list of essential medicines. Currently, 319 drugs are on this list.

Of these, 98.6 per cent are generic or are not patented in developing countries. Thus, the life-saving medications the poor needs are already off patent. Generic manufacturers can make them today if they wish. Therefore, patents are not the problem.

In the words of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, the debate around changing patent rules for drugs is a "red herring."

The real obstacles to acquiring pharmaceuticals and appropriate care are poverty, corruption, a lack of capacity and weak infrastructure. Two billion people live on less than $2 a day. Poor people cannot afford generic drugs, even if they are available.

For them, reality is stark: No cash, no cure. Their governments either do not have the money or choose not to put their limited resources into health care. Military spending is often the preferred alternative for many of the world's poorest countries and corruption kills by diverting a nation's revenues into thieving hands and away from the people's needs.

As a physician, I have visited umpteen clinics and hospitals in Africa. Many of them have had little more than a few boxes of ancient, dusty, out-of-date medications.

Trained health-care workers don't exist, neither does access to reliable diagnostics, electricity, sanitation and potable water. These are the major barriers to care for the world's poorest -not patents.

Canada can take a leadership role to address this massive global challenge. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) should create a $50-million Essential Drug Fund (EDF). This fund should be used to purchase medical supplies for impoverished countries. Its monies could be leveraged with matching funds from other sources: the recipient country, development banks, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, foundations, multilateral institutions and others.

CIDA could assist recipient countries to establish sustainable financing networks and reliable supply systems to acquire and distribute medical supplies.

Access to skilled, medical personnel is also a major obstacle to care. Africa alone has a deficit of more than one million health-care workers. CIDA could also help developing countries train medical personnel.

Innovative partnerships between Canadian universities and professional groups have developed and they should be used to train health care workers and roll out the lifesaving innovations we know that work.

These partnerships can also be used to build capacity in the public service and private sector.

Two consortia that facilitate these linkages have been developed in the United States and Canada and include more than 40 universities. They are using a multi-disciplinary approach to improve health and facilitate development in low income countries.

But this is not enough.

Workers, once trained, must be retained in their home country. Canada must become a signatory to the international agreement to ban the poaching of health-care workers from low-income countries. It is unconscionable that we, as a developed G8 nation, are actively recruiting health-care professionals from impoverished countries to meet our own needs.

Those who are seeking to change patent laws for pharmaceuticals by changing CAMR and those who are against this change share a common objective: to enable the world's poorest to access the essential medical supplies and care they need when they fall ill. Changing CAMR will not do this because 98.6 per cent of essential medications are already generic.

Let's focus on the real barriers to medical care for the world's poor. It is a leadership role ideally suited to our Canadian capabilities in international development and global health.

Keith Martin is the MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca in B.C. and a physician who worked in Africa. He initiated the Canadian Physicians Overseas Program and has organized medical shipments worth $25 million for low-income countries