How can we achieve health equity? Lessons from “My Health, My Right”
Drs Francis Poitier and Nichola Jones reflect on the Nuffield Centre’s World Health Day showcase, sharing how policy interventions and collective action can address key global health priorities.
On 17 April 2024, the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development hosted a World Health Day showcase on the theme: My Health, My Right. This year’s theme champions the right of everyone, everywhere, to have access to quality health care. It urges political will to pass laws, increase investments, improve accountability mechanisms and tackle discrimination in order to expand equitable access to quality health services for all. Read the World Health Organization’s call for action.
The showcase included talks and panel discussions from global health policy experts from the World Health Organization, policymakers from low-middle-income countries and heads of world-leading institutions, among others.
The event and accompanying workshops identified current priority issues in global health and developed collaborative approaches to progress on these issues. Across rich conversations, several priority issues in global health emerged including:
1. Global connectedness
The right to health, for everyone, everywhere, has long been guarded by international policy measures as fundamental for fulfilling all other human rights. Yet, the right to health is not universally enjoyed. On 17 April, the need to focus on our global connectedness was highlighted as a key priority. As global outbreaks threaten gains made in health systems, health issues are not isolated to one country’s border. A sense of shared responsibility for addressing health issues was key to many discussions. A focus on Our Health and Our Rights was a call to action for everyone — researchers and policymakers alike — to think not about the individual but our collective global fabric. Speakers called for unity in action, as well as words:
“To bring that global perspective to the local environment, we need to think global but act local. Words alone are not enough; we need to get involved, we need to move beyond advocacy to action.” — Dr Ian Smith, Former Senior Advisor to the Director-General of the WHO
2. Quality affordable healthcare
There should not be a trade-off between quality and affordable health services. The two go hand in hand to secure Universal Health Coverage. For example, 60% of maternal and neonatal deaths could have been averted through effective and quality services. This reorientation of thinking challenges policymakers and practitioners to think not only about access to services but also about the quality being provided.
“Quality of care means that everyone who receives care receives the best possible level of care. For care to be of quality it has to be effective, efficient, safe, integrated, timely, and people-centred. Universal Health Coverage is not only for those who can afford it, but those who need it, and that care is available all the time, every day, and in all conditions.” — Dr Blerta Maliqi, Unit Head for Quality of Care, WHO
Health systems programmes and routine processes should always include quality elements. Speakers highlighted that countries have a responsibility to provide quality, integrated and equitable services that support those most in need.
3. Human resources remain pivotal
Health care is human driven. Health workers are pivotal, yet in many settings, there are insufficient numbers or not the right skills available. This is not a new challenge, but global conflicts are exacerbating the issues faced in resourcing health.
“When conflict comes on top of migration, there are losses faced in these countries. The interdynamics between the health workforce, health migration and conflict is really proving to be challenging.” — Dr Elsheikh Badr, Secretary-General for the Sudan Medical Specialization Board
Conflicts are accelerating health workforce migration. This impacts access and quality of healthcare provision, undermining any progress towards universal health coverage. Where health workforces can be maintained or improved, there is an opportunity to develop community-based interventions that cater to a community’s needs effectively.
4. Global health security
Lessons learned from COVID-19 demonstrate that global health security requires global connectedness. Each country should invest in their health systems, but health security also requires a collective approach to preparedness and resilience. This is not the health sector’s responsibility alone.
Multisectoral approaches, which bring together non-health sectors, such as education, local governments, gender, and social support, with national health systems, are needed to address social determinants of health to better prepare for future outbreaks and pandemics. For example, the private sector, such as the garment industry, was critical to the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) during COVID-19. The cooperative approach between the public and private sectors facilitated the supply of PPE to health workers. This partnership must be maintained and expanded to better prepare for future outbreaks and to accelerate the realisation of the right to health for all. Health must be in all policies.
“You will not be able to improve the health of your population, unless you address all other determinants of health. Put health in the centre of decision-making wherever decisions are made.” — Dr Syed Jaffar Hussein, Representative and Head of Mission in Iran, WHO
Moving Forward
The right to health for everyone, everywhere, is not guaranteed but we can all take concrete actions to advance this right.
Governments must invest in health systems and take a health-in-all-policies approach to policy development and implementation. Individuals and communities can continue to defend their right to health and urge policymakers to remove barriers to equitable health care. Scholars must move beyond disciplinary boundaries to address priority global challenges in a holistic way.
Tackling new frontiers in global health demands multidisciplinary collaboration, translating theory into practical solutions. Our showcase and workshop catalyzed these collaborative approaches. Where scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from various disciplines, including global health, politics, history, and social science, agreed on a broad framework for collaboratively addressing these global health priorities.
This framework encompasses teaching, capacity building, and research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), using health workforce skills and capacities as an entry point. The framework will use a bottom-up and co-development approach for knowledge exchange and capacity strengthening here at Leeds and in LMICs. Future meetings will build on the framework, including forming working groups across the priority areas identified.
This marks the inception of a network of individuals dedicated to accelerating advancements in global health now. It is hoped that through this collective action, the right to health for all will be better achieved.
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For more information, contact Drs Francis Poitier and Nichola Jones, teaching and research fellows at The Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development.
Find more information on policy collaborations from across University of Leeds on the Policy Leeds website. If you would like to keep in touch with our work between signposts, please connect with us on LinkedIn, find us on X (formerly Twitter), or you can email us at policyleeds@leeds.ac.uk
