Apartheid – Global Health Justice

Defunding UNWRA in Gaza is ‘collective punishment’ – Lancet & Health Justice Organizations

Posted on February 10, 2024February 10, 2024

Health and political leaders globally have condemned defunding of UNRWA, the principle lifeline for the people of Gaza. Sharmila Devi, in the current issue of Lancet, quotes UN leaders and aid agency leaders (including WHO) “no other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2·2 million people in Gaza urgently need,” the cuts are “collective punishment,” and “if a teacher is found to be a murderer, we don’t get calls to defund the school…

Tim Schwab & “The Bill Gates Problem” Town Hall Seattle Podcast

Philanthrocapitalism Reimagining Aid Apartheid Bill Gates book recommendations decolonization decolonizehealth equity global north health disparities Health Equity inequality international aid International Responsibility phantom aid Social Justice Structural violence white saviorism

Posted on January 27, 2024March 26, 2024

Tim Schwab, author of the recently published “The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the myth of the good billionaire,” headlined a Seattle Town Hall event in December 2024 sponsored by the Community Alliance for Global Justice. In this podcast of the event, Tim explains how Bill Gates’ uses his foundation as a vehicle for unaccountable personal power and influence, using taxpayers dollars. He describes how dogmatic belief in the primacy of the private sector and their patent interests and the…

Wars are never necessary: Gaza is the best example

War/Militarism Apartheid equity Global Health Justice Human Rights Violations Militarism Palestine Stop The Bloodshed Structural violence the lancet War

Posted on January 27, 2024February 10, 2024

This short Lancet piece by Souza, Buss, and Alcazar notes that since the Gaza war began in October 2023, “nothing has been resolved and all impasses remain. The costs of lives lost and survivors’ lives destroyed forever are immense. The billions of dollars spent on killing so far could have saved lives, fed and immunised people, recovered the malnourished, built equitable systems, and provided essential medicines in many parts of the world.” They draw our attention to a recent BBC…

Vaccine Milestone: South Africa Starts Local Meningitis Production

Medical Apartheid Apartheid counterfeit medicines global health global north global south health disparities Healthcare Access inequality medical appartheid public health Social Justice Vaccine Apartheid

Posted on November 7, 2023January 14, 2024

In a landmark move for public health and African pharmaceutical manufacturing, South Africa’s Biovac has entered into a strategic partnership with Korean vaccine producer, EuBiologics Co. Ltd., to commence the production of a meningitis vaccine on African soil. This collaboration represents a significant stride in the fight against meningococcal disease, an endemic threat in South Africa and across the sub-Saharan region. Meningococcal meningitis, a bacterial infection causing the inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes, poses a severe health…

[BOOKS] on Medical Appartheid

Medical Apartheid Apartheid Argentina counterfeit medicines Economic Sanctions equity Global Health Justice Health Equity Health Inequities Healthcare Access healthcare workplace violence Human Rights Violations international aid racism Structural violence white fragility

Posted on October 13, 2023January 27, 2024

Medical apartheid refers to the systemic discrimination, segregation, and unequal treatment of individuals or groups based on their race or ethnicity within the healthcare system, leading to disparities in access, quality of care, and health outcomes. Book recommendations on medical appartheid: “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present” by Harriet A. Washington (2006) Washington meticulously documents the history of medical exploitation and mistreatment of Black Americans, offering a comprehensive…

Could you patent the sun? How vaccine patent waivers would save lives

Medical Apartheid Apartheid counterfeit medicines decolonization Economic Sanctions Geopolitical Global Health Justice Health Inequities healthcare workplace violence Human Rights Violations phantom aid public health Structural violence Vaccine Apartheid

Posted on October 6, 2023January 27, 2024

The world had the chance to truly treat COVID-19 as a common problem and respond to it in an equitable and just manner. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, politicians, mainstream media and celebrities in the West declaring the disease the “great equalizer” – implying that this novel virus would affect everyone regardless of their position, wealth, race, or power. However, as the pandemic progressed, it became abundantly clear that this was not the case. Instead, the development and distribution of several effective…

Fossil Fuel Shackles: How Wealthy Nations Hook Developing Ones

Posted on September 2, 2023December 14, 2023

Introduction In the realm of global environmental justice, a disconcerting phenomenon has gained prominence in recent times: the entrapment of impoverished nations by their wealthier counterparts into a relentless dependence on fossil fuels. (1) This practice, though obscured by economic negotiations, perpetuates a cycle of environmental degradation and inequality. By examining pertinent examples and evidence, this essay aims to illuminate the detrimental consequences of this pattern, exposing how such actions hinder both sustainable development and the global fight against climate…

[BOOKS] on Phantom Aid

Deeper Dive Reimagining Aid Apartheid book recommendations Economic Sanctions Human Rights Violations inequality inequity International Responsibility LMIC phantom aid public health resource mobilization Social Justice white saviorism

Posted on September 13, 2022September 13, 2023

“Phantom Aid” refers to the phenomenon where foreign aid is promised but not effectively delivered, often due to corruption, mismanagement, or other systemic issues. Here are recommended books to explore the topic more: “The White Man’s Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States” by Winthrop D. Jordan (1974) This seminal work offers crucial historical context on how racial perceptions have influenced foreign aid efforts, providing a foundation for understanding the complexities of aid dynamics. “Dead Aid: Why…

[BOOKS] on War in Global Health

War/Militarism Apartheid book recommendations Geopolitical global north global south healthcare workplace violence LMIC Militarism Stop The Bloodshed Structural violence Sub-Saharan Africa War white saviorism

Posted on May 31, 2022September 13, 2023

Here is a list of some books that emphasize the role of the USA in fomenting war across the world, often to protect US dominance, corporate exploitation, and promote neoliberal policies – or to undermine or overthrow governments that challenge such exploitation. Some of the books include: “Washington Bullets” by Vijay Prashad (2020) Prashad examines the global impact of American foreign policy and interventions, shedding light on the often devastating consequences of U.S. military actions. This book is essential…

Apartheid logic in global health

Medical Apartheid Apartheid COVID-19 inequity Vaccine Apartheid

Posted on May 7, 2022June 7, 2023

Mosoka Fallah and Eric Reinhart provide an excellent historical perspective on the global apartheid of HIV treatment in the 1990s and early 2000s as a backdrop to understanding the abject failure to provide COVID-19 prevention and care to the disenfranchised peoples of the world. They point out how such efforts perpetuate the “quasi-colonial humanitarian playgrounds of billionaire philanthropists, western officials, and corporate interests that have shaped the modus operandi of global health for too long.” A short read that should…