Access to Healthcare
April 28, 2025
Barred from Healing: Denial of Qualified Medical Care Deepens Humanitarian Crises
This article is written in Arabic and English. For the English version, please see below. في مناطق النزاع حول العالم، يمكن أن يكون الوصول إلى المهنيين الطبيين المؤهلين هو الفارق بين الحياة والموت. ولا يوجد مكان يتجلى فيه هذا الأمر أكثر من غزة، حيث أدى الحصار المتعمد على العاملين في مجال الرعاية الصحية الماهرين إلى…
January 26, 2025
Reducing Import Reliance: Morocco Paves the Way for Africa’s Autonomy
The Moroccan company Moldiag’s production of Africa’s first mpox tests stands as a refreshing contrast to the traditional narrative of reliance on high-income nations for medical supplies. Amid a history of global inequities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, this effort underscores the importance of South-South partnerships and self-reliance in addressing public health challenges. Moldiag, founded…
October 18, 2024
Medical Science not Being Shared Equitably
Systemic inequities in access to the fruits of science and medical technology continue to disadvantage the Global South. These inequities are rooted in colonial legacies and capitalist exploitation, argue Madhu Pai and Seye Abimbola in the August 2024 issue of Science. Examples such as the COVID-19 vaccine distribution and access to life- saving treatments like lenacapavir…
August 20, 2024
Mpox: A Looming Threat to Global Health Security, A Renewed Call for Solidarity
Mpox: A Public Health Emergency of International Concern As the world continues to grapple with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new public health threat is emerging: Mpox. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa CDC have declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern, urging the global community to take immediate…
June 21, 2024
Profit Over Patients: Insulin Pen Shortage in South Africa
South Africa is running out of insulin pens due to Novo Nordisk’s decision not to renew its contract, focusing instead on more profitable weight- loss drugs. The shift to vials represents a step backward in diabetes care. Vials and syringes are harder to use and less precise, raising concerns about medication adherence and long-term complications….
May 21, 2024
Red Crescent Demands End to Exploitation by the Global North
A staggering quarter of the world’s population, around two billion people, still lack access to basic healthcare, according to Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Group. Despite the efforts of the global health ecosystem to close this gap, the deep-rooted social, economic, demographic, and geographical disparities largely stem from the historical and ongoing exploitation by the…
February 6, 2024
The Equity Imperative: Confronting HPV Vaccine Apartheid to Combat Cervical Cancer
The fight against cervical cancer faces a critical juncture. Despite the availability of a life-saving vaccine against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which is known to reduce cervical cancer cases significantly, a stark divide remains between high-income countries and lower-middle-income countries in vaccine access. Professor Linda Eckert, from the Department of ObGyn and the Department of…
September 8, 2023
Global North’s Pandemic Selfishness: Seeds of the Global South’s Burning Resentment
Mark Suzman, CEO of Gates Foundation, admits that the distrust in the Global South has been brought about by Vaccine policies of the Global North (see article). In June, at the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact in Paris, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the deep resentment felt by many in the Global…
July 16, 2023
DEI plays a critical role in addressing health disparities, despite political controversy surrounding it.
The diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement is under organized and escalating attack. The critics argue that “DEI Inc.” has gone too far-and should be rolled back or defunded because of clunky and controversial administrative moves.” It was recently reported by the National Bureau of Economic Research that even the wealthiest Black patients suffer worse…
November 10, 2022
African scientists say Western aid to fight pandemic is backfiring. Here’s their plan
Global health inequities are inevitable, according to virologist and former president of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences Oyewale Tomori. “The WHO is,” says Tomori, “well, I know the W stands for World, but sometimes I think it stands for White.” Dr. Tomori shared that he was not surprised that high-income countries were buying up monkeypox vaccine…
