COVID-19 has shocked the world and requires constant vigilance; but until the roll-out of safe and effective vaccines (of high-uptake), we should not easily revert to life prior to the pandemic. Public support for mitigation measures have been remarkable; still, as expected, signs of pandemic fatigue are reported throughout the world. Published and unpublished […]
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The democratisation of health care: will Kenya be left behind?
“Young man, I would be dead without this device.” Mr. Ngatia[1] said as he shook my hand vigorously. Mr. Ngatia was in his early 50s and had spent much of his life in Korogocho slum in Nairobi. I met him about seven years ago when I was leading a community-based health research project on […]
Inclusion & accessibility for disabled doctors: a public health issue
Disabled people constitute up to 15-20% of the world’s population; but the proportion of disabled doctors is low globally. There is a need to move away from traditional narratives of disability to rights-based perspectives, which offer respect, dignity, equity and inclusion for disabled medical students and doctors. While global estimates of proportion of disabled […]
An interview with last year’s BMJ Global Health Grant winner, Dr. Dickson Lwetoijera
As we prepare to announce the recipient of the 2020 BMJ Global Health Grant, we went back to 2019’s winner and asked him what receiving the grant meant to him and his research career. Dickson Wilson Lwetoijera is Chief Research Scientist at Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), Ifakara, Tanzania; Professor at Nelson Mandela African Institution […]
How the World Trade Organization could facilitate access to COVID-19 health technologies?
Governments have faced difficult decisions over the past months, but the decision to remove unnecessary barriers to accessing COVID-19 health technologies like vaccines, diagnostics and treatments should be an obvious one. This decision is currently under debate among member states of the World Trade Organization, who are considering a proposal to waive global intellectual property […]
An effective national response to COVID-19: what not to learn from Sweden
“The measures enjoined were far from Draconian and one had the feeling that many concessions had been made in a desire not to alarm the public” (The Plague, Albert Camus, 1947) Why is it that Sweden, which was first to introduce mandatory use of seatbelts in cars, seems to be the last country […]
Two cases of SARS: Fighting police brutality and COVID-19 in Nigeria
Over the last three weeks, young people have taken to the streets across the country, in the middle of a pandemic, to protest against police brutality in Nigeria. In some instances, the peaceful protestors have been met with more violence and to one of the darkest days in modern history in Nigeria now infamously […]
Abe’s legacy – Japan’s contribution to global health
Japan’s longest post-war administration led by Shinzo Abe came to an abrupt end on September 2020. This was on account of Abe’s health problems but in totality marks a period of seven years and eight months. The merits and demerits of Abe’s regime are being examined from diverse perspectives. However, one aspect is clear, […]
Caught between the virus and poverty: Impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on indigenous communities in India
“Are we not human? Don’t we have flesh and blood? We have been toiling in the field, which is why you have enough to feed yourself and your family. Don’t forget that.” shouted Nanchiamma and stood silently for a while under the shadow of the bus waiting-shed. She started again, “My son was sweating […]
Wheels of the bus go round and round: racism in women’s health organizations
First it was the claims of Women Deliver being a White Faux Feminism agency, now it’s the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC). Recently, the President of IWHC resigned after a report found a work culture of fear and intimidation experienced by junior staff and people of colour. October is the month dedicated to mental […]