SPOTLIGHT
Passing the torch: From West to East shape a new era of health governance rooted in a blend of innovation and deep medical traditions, redefining the future of global health cooperation As the West retreats from health leadership, greater cooperation between China and India could
is now sailing on the same ship, we have no choice but to come together to prevent any infectious disease from erupting anywhere on the ship, in either the first-class cabins or the third-class cabins. Given this undeniable global condition of total interdependence, it is shocking that the world’s richest and most powerful country has decided to leave the World Health Organization, the only global body available to humanity to prevent and deal with infectious diseases. And there was no explosion of outrage in the American body politic, even though this move jeopardises Americans as much as it jeopardises the rest of humanity. This move, coming after the reluctance of the affluent western countries to share vaccines during the height of Covid, convinced the Global South that it could no longer rely on the West to help in a crisis. Are there glimmers of hope? Fortunately, there are. In the first few months after Covid-19 vaccines
C ovid-19 sent a metaphysical message to humanity. We have not grasped it. What was the message? In the past, when humanity lived in 193 separate countries, it was akin to us living in 193 separate boats. Hence, if Covid-19 were to hit one boat, the others would be safe. They were physically separated. Yet Covid-19 spread effortlessly to 193 countries, proving beyond a shadow of doubt that humanity now lives in 193 separate cabins on the same boat. Imagine sailing on a big cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. News breaks that a few cabins have been infected with a highly contagious disease. And it could spread through the air ducts. Can we take our cabin and leave the ship? No country could during Covid-19. Since humanity
Kishore Mahbubani, distinguished fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore
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Health: A Political Choice – The Future of Health in a Fractured World
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