How to strengthen healthcare systems against future shocks
Chronic inequalities in access to medicine long predate the current global crisis of COVID-19 vaccine inequity. As an example, each year around 5.7 million people die because they cannot access or afford antibiotics – and the stark reality is that this figure comes from a typical year, rather than one affected by a pandemic. Essential healthcare products remain unaffordable and unavailable in much of the world, particularly affecting the 83% of the world’s population who live in low- and middle-income countries.