PHILIPPE DOUSTE-BLAZY

Before becoming a leader in public health, Philippe Douste-Blazy had a distinguished career as a cardiologist. After completing his residency at the Toulouse Hospital, Philippe Douste-Blazy was appointed Head of the Cardiology Clinic in 1992. In 1998, he became a professor of epidemiology, health economics and prevention at the Toulouse Faculty of Medicine. Philippe Douste-Blazy is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and has been a visiting professor at Harvard Medical School. His political career began in 1989, when he was elected Mayor of Lourdes, then deputy for Hautes-Pyrénées in 1993. He then served as Mayor of Toulouse and deputy for Haute-Garonne from 2001 to 2004.

Philippe Douste-Blazy was French Minister of Health from 1993 to 1995, before becoming French Minister of Culture and Communication from 1995 to 1997. In 2004, Philippe Douste-Blazy held the position of Minister of Health for a few months, before being appointed Minister for Social Affairs, Health, the Elderly, the Disabled and the Family. From this position, he initiated a reform of healthcare coverage with savings of 10 billion euros and forecasted revenue of 5 billion euros in three years. He also introduced the notion of attending practitioner (médecin traitant) and Haute Autorité de Santé, which evaluates health products from a medical and economic perspective. It issues appraisal recommendations that assist public authorities in reimbursement and pricing decision-making with regard to the national health fund.

In 2005, Philippe Douste-Blazy became the French Minister of Foreign Affairs where he founded UNITAID, an organization hosted by the United Nations, providing the world's poorest populations with access to preventative drugs, treatments, and health solutions for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. UNITAID’s resources are based on an innovative financing approach – one-euro contribution per airline ticket across 10 countries.

In 2008, Philippe Douste-Blazy was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Special Adviser on Innovative Financing for Development. He served in this position for 9 years.

Since 2019, he is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of UNITLIFE.