5.5
SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
O ur world and global other’s impact. The US decisions to withdraw from the World Health Organization and drastically reduce funding for USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have escalated risks for much of global health, and domestic health security. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals had slowed and now we risk not achieving any of the 17 SDGs by 2030. The polycrisis unfolding in the lives of hundreds of millions of the marginalised and people not previously considered high risk across the world will be exacerbated by the multifarious impacts of climate emergencies and conflicts. Derailing life-saving services in health are experiencing a debilitating polycrisis, with interconnected issues amplifying each neonatal care, HIV, tuberculosis and other diseases is unconscionable. Deteriorating core promotive and preventive public health issues including vaccination, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health and rights, comprehensive primary health care, and early interventions in non-communicable diseases may undo the gains made in improving lives and strengthening health systems. Far more nefarious will be the loss of trust that millions of community workers, health professionals and the polity have painstakingly built through medicine, perseverance, sacrifice and grassroots wisdom. This loss is intertwined with decreasing faith in science and skyrocketing misinformation. Decreased reliance on evidence-based medicine, response to programmatic mobilisation and impetus in social discourse for public financing may soon amplify the polycrisis of our seemingly fractured world. THE PROMISE Fortunately, many interventions are ripe for strategically scaling up impacts in health outcomes. They are currently in various stages of implementation and already improving the lives of people. Collaborative research platforms enable scientists from diverse regions
to rapidly share data, methodologies and best practices, from tracking emerging pathogens to modelling climate-health linkages. Such platforms can democratise access to knowledge, empower those in low-resource settings, and foster equity in research priorities and participation. Working in solidarity, countries can overcome siloed research systems so advances benefit all populations equitably. This inter- connectedness, however, must be complemented by robust governance frameworks that safeguard data privacy, equity and ethical research norms. The WHO’s mRNA Technology Transfer Programme is one such initiative that enables equitable regional pandemic preparedness through hub-based research and manufacturing collaborations for vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. Artificial intelligence and digital health are advancing at unprecedented rates, in discovering drugs, predicting protein structures for disease, engaging in risk surveillance and improving access to diagnostics. Deploying these technologies responsibly, countries must institute robust AI governance frameworks that prioritise ethics, accountability and social inclusivity. Global public goods depend on transparency in AI operations, rigorous external oversight and conscientious management of sensitive data. AI through humans- in-the-loop and communties-in-the- loop must support – not supplant – human judgement. Digital health platforms – from telemedicine apps to wearable monitors – can revolutionise access, especially in remote or underserved regions. Digital health solutions should be tested in varied populations, ensuring they address unique environmental, genetic and social determinants of health. Solutions with offline functionality must cater to low-resource realities in many communities. At the heart of health interventions lies human behaviour. The science of health is incomplete without an understanding of social and behavioural factors: how individuals and communities perceive risk, adopt innovation and respond to public messaging. Understanding gender roles, misinformation dynamics,
“ Working in solidarity, countries can overcome siloed research systems so advances benefit all populations equitably. This inter- connected- ness, however, must be complemented
by robust governance frameworks”
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Health: A Political Choice – The Future of Health in a Fractured World
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