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The British Medical Association, Medact, and the Medical Students International Network (MedSIN) launched a campaign last month ahead of the G7 summit in Japan to attempt to persuade world leaders to write off all debt owed by the world's poorest countries.

Medical students from around the country created their own unique form of political protest. People signed patient identification bracelets as a gesture of support for the campaign. Over 6000 bracelets were made and signed and the identification bracelets were presented to the British and Japanese governments before the summit. The BMA chairman, Dr Ian Bogle, and the Medact chairman, Dr Robin Stott, launched this campaign by cutting the chain of the thousands of interlinked patient identification bracelets outside the Japanese embassy last month.

The new campaign, "Debt relief: the best medicine for the world's poor," urges health professionals to take part in an international world wide web action involving millions of activists who will use the internet and the power of email to con- tact world leaders and the International Monetary Fund to demand debt relief.

Commenting on the launch, Dr Bogle said, "The BMA has a long standing interest in global health and has persistently lobbied the UK government emphasising the need to link debt relief to increased spending on health. Many of the UK's doctors have first hand experience of working in countries where debt has severely impeded the provision and development of healthcare. We hope that the medical profession can add to the national and international pressure to eradicate world debt."

Dr Stott said, "The campaign launch hopes to highlight the important role the Japanese government plays as chair and host of this year's G7 meeting."

The total amount that has been loaned to the poorest countries by the rich nations is $800bn. Already, $2000bn has been paid back as interest repayments.

Mark Silvert, London


studentBMJ 2000;08:259-302 August ISSN 0966-6494