In the third week of November 2019, experts in health security from 29 Nigerian ministries, departments and agencies gathered. Their task was to use a 49-indicator tool of the World Health Organisation to access Nigeria’s capacity to detect, prevent or respond to a disease outbreak—in effect, whether the country was prepared to handle one. P...

The COVID-19 pandemic has jeopardised solidarity globally. Even if there have also been encouraging signs, communities such as the European Union, the African Union (and its regional economic communities), and the ASEAN region have all experienced problems with solidarity in this time of crisis. There is widespread fear that Africa will harbour ...

A few years back, walking through the narrow trail at Mar Elias Camp, I wasn’t able to process the telltale signs. Today, crouching under the looming entangled electrical wires and jumping across dirtied waterbeds snaking around makeshift houses, I understand the importance of rethinking health initiatives put forth in my country, Lebanon. This ...

Ten days ago, a friend rang to ask me whether it would be reasonable to start a cottage-industry sewing cotton facemasks. Thomas lives in Daliganj, Lucknow, a densely populated urban community where families live in single brick rooms. He thought facemasks could both protect people from coronavirus and generate income for families struggling in ...

(French & Portuguese versions of this statement below) The West African Network of Emerging Leaders in Health Policy and Systems (WANEL) is West Africa’s first network of emerging researchers and practitioners in health policy and systems, working to support stronger and resilient health systems in the ECOWAS sub-region. WANEL facilitates peer...

In a world set afire by Covid-19, April 2 remains World Autism Awareness Day. Another frontline to worry about in times of health, economic and social crisis: the more than a billion people worldwide who have disabilities. While adults with disabilities sometimes have a voice and a platform to fight for what is rightfully theirs, very little att...

The 6th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (Dubai 2020) intends to facilitate deeper engagement with the political forces that surround health systems. While politics exist everywhere and at all levels, there is a tendency to equate these forces with ‘Big Politics’, the power dynamics that play out at global and national levels. In ...

As the global Covid-19 pandemic seems to grow exponentially at this point, we are reminded – as so often during times of crisis – how critically important responsive systems are to prevent morbidity and mortality during an outbreak. On World TB Day, we reflect how there are obvious similarities between Covid-19 and tuberculosis (TB), especia...

Healthcare is the fundamental right of every individual. However, accessibility to quality, affordable and adequate healthcare facilities still remains a major challenge for most lower-middle income countries. Perhaps this is even more true for my country, India. As most of you will know, the World Health Organization (WHO) comprehensively defin...