Global Health Challenges

Equality is a common theme in society where we intend to lessen disparities, and advance human rights. It connects with the main article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." In the context of global health, equality translates into equal and fair access to healthcare. However, the appearance of COVID-19 very nearly two years prior has aggravated the systemic inequality among social orders and nations and has featured inconsistencies in gaining access to healthcare care.

On the issue of COVID-19 vaccines, Nobel Laureate and economist, Professor Joseph Stiglitz, described how COVID-19 had barely affected countries at the top end of the global economy, while those at the bottom have suffered massively in respect of their occupations, wellbeing, and their children’s education.

The coronavirus has not been “an equal opportunity virus.”

Professor Stiglitz recently remarked in front of the Human Rights Council that access to vaccines "is almost part of a right to life, and yet, access to the vaccines, while is very easy in the United States and other advanced countries, is extraordinarily difficult in emerging economies and almost impossible in most developing countries.” Many concur that there is no right more significant than the right to life. As of today, while 58.2 percent of the world population has received at least one vaccine dose, only 8.5 percent of people in low-income countries have received at least a dose. Thus, western countries presenting boundaries to vaccine access to low- and middle-income countries implies we will all undoubtedly encounter new variants.

Near the end of October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) said less than 10 percent of the 54 countries in Africa were on course to hit the target of vaccinating 40 percent of their population by the end of 2021. Then, Omicron came, highlighting how fragile the world is especially when large parts of the world's populations do not have fair access to the vaccine. We all witnessed the panicked response to the new variant, but we need to remind ourselves that nobody is protected until everybody is protected. It is unbelievable that this standard of universal access to vaccines isn't yet perceived as a human right. On 1 December, the World Health Organization (WHO) member countries consented to launch an international process to forestall and control future pandemics.

Global challenges such as the COVID 19 pandemic and climate change are the ultimate test for mankind to act as one, go past public domains and individual interests and value humanity. In the event that we fail, we will confront incomprehensible outcomes, and the COVID-19 vaccination response will remain as a testament to our collective incapacity to do the right thing for all of humanity.

Best,

Namira Mehedi

Assistant Director