What do the Duke of York, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser have in common? They were all guests of Lord Ara Darzi last week in Doha. The reason for coming together, along with around 800 lesser celebrities, was Lord Darzi's first WISH—the World Innovation Summit for Health. (Full disclosure: the organisers of the meeting paid for my travel and accommodation. The Lancet was an "academic partner".) The subject of the gathering was innovation: "we want to foster the take-up and adoption of health innovation and ideas from across the world". WISH ignited debates based on eight reports, all led by leaders in their respective fields (Sally Davies on antimicrobial resistance and Vikram Patel on mental health, to take two examples). There was an "innovation showcase", displaying 15 ideas that ranged from Operation Hernia (pioneering mosquito netting for groin hernia repair) to Primary Care 101 (translating evidence into practice in rural South Africa). The meeting soughtto be much more than atalking shop.
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