COVID-19 exerted diverse pressures of unimaginable proportions on lives and livelihoods, especially among vulnerable populations across the world. As the global economy was struggling, socio-economic inequities deepened, thrusting many vulnerable populations further down the poverty line. But the situation was even worse in developing countries ...

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in India, who are women, act as a conduit between the healthcare system and the community. Multiple academic and popular writings have highlighted their significant work during the COVID-19 pandemic under dire circumstances amidst immense threats to their safety and lives. The existing literature addres...

Primary health care (PHC) was quite successful in driving progress in various health-related areas in the era of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The continued importance of PHC in the current era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be overstated. As the foundation of effective and equitable health systems, PHC is essential fo...

Two decades ago, global health partnerships proliferated as an alternative governance model to the World Health Organization (WHO), deemed overtly political, bureaucratic and inefficient. Partnerships were designed instead as lean and efficient “networks” or “alliances” bringing together public and private partners to achieve a clearly s...

Mavrovouni Closed Controlled Access Center (CCAC) in Lesvos, Greece, is one of the largest refugee camps in Europe. It currently hosts an estimated 5,500 refugees, 26% of which are women. In recent months, there have been 200 new arrivals each week, resulting in increased pressure on already strained resources, such as those related to nutrition...

As we can see every day on our tv screens and on social media, ours are times of escalating armed conflicts, climate chaos, democratic decline and health emergencies. Indeed, one message is emerging consistently across mainstream media and reports of international institutions: we live in an era of multiple crises. Earlier this week, at WHO’s ...

Public health messaging should provide accurate information so that the public and their leadership can formulate appropriate responses, weighed against society’s competing priorities. Planning should then concentrate resources on areas of greatest need with the expectation that they will achieve the greatest benefit. However, policy can becom...

Wandering through Seoul in 2020, I spotted a woman and her baby in a café. This was a rare sight, as having a baby has turned into a sign of extreme wealth in South Korea – the country with the lowest fertility rate in the world. Parents are eager to show their children off, while other baby-feverish South Koreans admire the little miracle. O...

The vibrant city of Dubai (UAE) recently hosted the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference,  more commonly known as “COP28”. The conference took place from 30 November to 12 December at Expo City, Dubai. COP28 brought once again global attention to environmental issues – one of the main advantages of this annual gathering – but the ...