medical appartheid
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…
May 14, 2024
Stolen Wisdom: Ending Western Exploitation of Indigenous Knowledge
As of May 2024, the Diplomatic Conference on Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge unfolds in Geneva, a crucial conversation is taking place: how to end the long-standing exploitation of traditional knowledge and genetic resources by wealthier nations. For centuries, indigenous peoples have been the guardians of a vast repository of knowledge about medicinal plants,…
November 7, 2023
Vaccine Milestone: South Africa Starts Local Meningitis Production
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…
Rewriting the Script of Global Health
In the heart of Rwanda, a pharmaceutical revolution is unfolding, disrupting a global health order long dominated by high-income nations. This bold move by a nation determined to chart its own course in healthcare sovereignty embodies the spirit of decolonizing global health. It serves as a testament to the possibility of a world where equity…
October 20, 2023
Israel weaponizes healthcare in Gaza
Israel crushed Gaza’s medical system and prevents thousands of Palestinians from leaving for treatment. The Fourth Geneva Convention holds that an occupying power must ensure the food and medical supplies of the population and must allow medical workers to carry out their duties (Articles 55 and 56). But “Israel’s closure and blockade have turned the…
October 5, 2023
“The challenges we’re facing are man made- It’s our responsibility to unmake them.” An illuminating talk with a Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish
Building on the issues highlighted in our GHJ website article about medical aid challenges for Palestinian patients, Dr. Abuelaish emphasized how health can serve as a bridge to peace and that the origins of problems stem from ignorance. He stressed the importance of communication to address conflicts. Drawing on his personal experiences as a Palestinian…
December 15, 2022
‘Every chemist has a backroom’: the rise of secret Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya
In 2011, Kenya passed laws to decrease the rates of female genital mutilations (FGM), by imposing hefty fines on its practitioners, and increasing surveillance and enforcement. But the recent medicalization of FGM is posing a new challenge for the east African nation, which has a 15% medicalization rate: one of the highest in Africa. In…
