ountries of the Global North hold approximately half of all global wealth, while the great majority (around 80%, depending on your definition) live in the Global South. G7 governments, which are all part of the Global North, should take this major imbalance into consideration while convening this year.
This imbalance is reflected in disparities in the health care systems of Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South America versus those in North America and Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic vividly revealed the North-South health divide and the inherent deficiencies in the health systems of the Global South. It became clear that a lack of community-centric approaches to health workers and networks, the absence of local production and supply chains, the ineffective gathering of health data and utilization of technology, and an insufficient investment in health infrastructure from the public and private sectors were health gaps in the Global South that undermined its resiliency. To address this imbalance, G7 countries and those of the Global South must come together to elevate health as a critical issue, invest the necessary resources, and forge innovative solutions to overcome this shared healthcare challenge.
North-South Imbalance and Its Impact
There is little doubt that G7 nations and the Global North have made great advances in patient care, technology, infrastructure, funding, research and development, intellectual capital, and expertise in the health sector. Those advances aren’t necessarily available in the Global South, nor can the Global South ever fully benefit under the current framework. The health care workforce, scientific research, and health environment of the Global South is currently too dependent on the Global North. One can attribute these disparities to a failure of the G7 countries to develop systematic and sustainable solutions to the disease, poverty, and lack of education that permeate the Global South, which make these countries less equipped to address major events that impact health outcomes, such as climate change, migration, drought, food scarcity, and a lack of infrastructure. While leaders from African countries, India, and other countries of the Global South were invited to the 2022 G7 Summit in Germany in an attempt to realign G7 priorities to meet the region’s diverse needs, health care was not a major issue on the agenda.
Health Approaches for the Global South
The key to success in health care solutions in the Global South is collaboration, within the Global South and with the Global North. In the areas of research and development and health expertise, the most successful models come from North-South collaboration that is not predicated on solutions developed in the North, but rather balanced collaborations where high income nations advance capacity in low- and middle-income countries to promote innovation. It is no secret that health care in the Global South is chronically underfunded and that significant investments in health care, particularly in prevention, intervention, integrated environmental, social, and behavioral health can lead to better health outcomes and economic return on investment. Medical capacity, specifically flexible and cost-effective spaces for care, is also a priority issue for the Global South. Meeting rural and urban populations where they live is a priority for health in the Global South. Modular health facilities have been identified as a solution for their ability to integrate supply chain stakeholders with health and emergency response providers, to establish new principles for intergovernmental principles to support efficient logistics for mobile facilities, and to enhance sustainability. Finally, the ability of technology to support collaborative supply chains, networked research, and capacity building for scientific communities is critical.
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The G7 Should Rethink its Health Care Approach with the Global South
Image via AdobeStock.
May 17, 2023
Health care systems across the Global South suffer major deficiencies, as illustrated by outcomes during the pandemic. This undermines resilience in the region, exacerbating future shared global problems, but there are clear ways the G7 can help redress these deficiencies, writes Ulrich Marseille.
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ountries of the Global North hold approximately half of all global wealth, while the great majority (around 80%, depending on your definition) live in the Global South. G7 governments, which are all part of the Global North, should take this major imbalance into consideration while convening this year.
This imbalance is reflected in disparities in the health care systems of Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South America versus those in North America and Europe. The COVID-19 pandemic vividly revealed the North-South health divide and the inherent deficiencies in the health systems of the Global South. It became clear that a lack of community-centric approaches to health workers and networks, the absence of local production and supply chains, the ineffective gathering of health data and utilization of technology, and an insufficient investment in health infrastructure from the public and private sectors were health gaps in the Global South that undermined its resiliency. To address this imbalance, G7 countries and those of the Global South must come together to elevate health as a critical issue, invest the necessary resources, and forge innovative solutions to overcome this shared healthcare challenge.
North-South Imbalance and Its Impact
There is little doubt that G7 nations and the Global North have made great advances in patient care, technology, infrastructure, funding, research and development, intellectual capital, and expertise in the health sector. Those advances aren’t necessarily available in the Global South, nor can the Global South ever fully benefit under the current framework. The health care workforce, scientific research, and health environment of the Global South is currently too dependent on the Global North. One can attribute these disparities to a failure of the G7 countries to develop systematic and sustainable solutions to the disease, poverty, and lack of education that permeate the Global South, which make these countries less equipped to address major events that impact health outcomes, such as climate change, migration, drought, food scarcity, and a lack of infrastructure. While leaders from African countries, India, and other countries of the Global South were invited to the 2022 G7 Summit in Germany in an attempt to realign G7 priorities to meet the region’s diverse needs, health care was not a major issue on the agenda.
Health Approaches for the Global South
The key to success in health care solutions in the Global South is collaboration, within the Global South and with the Global North. In the areas of research and development and health expertise, the most successful models come from North-South collaboration that is not predicated on solutions developed in the North, but rather balanced collaborations where high income nations advance capacity in low- and middle-income countries to promote innovation. It is no secret that health care in the Global South is chronically underfunded and that significant investments in health care, particularly in prevention, intervention, integrated environmental, social, and behavioral health can lead to better health outcomes and economic return on investment. Medical capacity, specifically flexible and cost-effective spaces for care, is also a priority issue for the Global South. Meeting rural and urban populations where they live is a priority for health in the Global South. Modular health facilities have been identified as a solution for their ability to integrate supply chain stakeholders with health and emergency response providers, to establish new principles for intergovernmental principles to support efficient logistics for mobile facilities, and to enhance sustainability. Finally, the ability of technology to support collaborative supply chains, networked research, and capacity building for scientific communities is critical.
