Will leaders act now to save lives and make health care free in poor countries?

That's the question Doctors of the World UK and other charities asked, following a report  issued in September looking at user fees and how they are putting lives at risk.  Many of those who can't pay their bills are imprisoned in hospitals until their family find the funds to pay off their debts.

UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown announced his support for free health services in Nepal, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Malawi and Burundi.  For poor people, being unable to pay fees for health care is often lethal. Half a million women alone die each year because they do not have access to care during pregnancy and childbirth.

Click here for the full report.

Photo: Abbie Traylor-Smith/Oxfam.