Global South Healthcare Journal

Bridging Continents for Health Equity: India-Latin America Cooperation for Healthcare Transformation in the Global South

Rajiv Chhibber — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

In an increasingly interconnected world, the quest for equitable healthcare access remains a central concern for the Global South. As two emergent blocs—India and Latin American countries (LACs)—grapple with shared challenges of access, affordability, and health systems strengthening, their potential for mutual collaboration in health economics, innovation, and technology is immense. This article examines how India's established capabilities in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health technology, and frugal innovation can synergize with the needs and aspirations of Latin America. The article attempts to analyze frameworks for regional collaboration, including Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), India's "Vaccine Maitri" and development diplomacy, supply chain integration through Gati Shakti, and India's multilateral engagement with the WHO, BRICS, ASEAN-LAC, and African Union. In conclusion this bilateral and multilateral cooperation can lead to sustainable healthcare systems, technological leadership, and a unified voice for health equity in the Global South.

Health Economics in East Africa: Adapting to Geopolitical Shifts and Building Resilient Health Systems

K Madan Gopal , Suneela Garg — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

East Africa's health systems face complex challenges, including low health spending, high out-of-pocket payments, shortages of skilled health workers, and increasing pressures from climate change and regional conflicts. These challenges are made worse by the sharp decline in external donor aid, pushing countries to find local solutions. This article examines key health system components in East Africa, focusing on infrastructure, human resources, and pharmaceutical supply chains. It highlights innovative financing mechanisms like sin taxes, diaspora remittances, blended finance, and regional cooperation that are being explored to build sustainable and equitable health systems. Case studies from Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania show how community-based insurance and digital health solutions can improve access to care. The article concludes with recommendations for policymakers, emphasising the need for increased domestic investment, human resource development, local medicine production, and climate-resilient health planning. By learning from these experiences, East Africa can create health systems that are fair, accessible, and ready to face the future.

Western Africa Regional Study on Health Economics

Bindhan Das — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

Health economics in Western Africa is shaped by systemic, financial, and human resource challenges, compounded by regional efforts to improve health outcomes and policy frameworks. The region faces a dual burden of fragile health systems and economic constraints. Despite projected economic growth of 4.3% by 2025, health infrastructure remains underfunded, access to care is inequitable, and reliance on volatile external aid persists. Only three African nations—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—meet the Abuja Declaration target of allocating 15% of national budgets to health, while most West African countries fall below 10%.

Global South Health Economics: Current Status and Future Perspectives

P. S. Chandranand, Manish Rastogi — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

The Global South, encompassing low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania, faces unique health economics challenges due to limited resources, high disease burdens, and systemic inequities. Despite these, the region demonstrates resilience and innovation, with potential to transform healthcare systems.

VUCA, Health, and Biostatistics: India's Challenge

Gayatri Vishwakarma, Jagrat Shrivastava — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

In a world, increasingly characterized by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA), health systems, especially in developing countries, face significant operational and strategic challenges. This article explores how health economics, supported by biostatistics and data science, can help navigate these challenges. Using India as a case study, we examine the stress points in health financing, data infrastructure, and policy implementation. We propose a systems-thinking approach leveraging data-driven models, predictive analytics, and cost-effectiveness evaluations to build resilient and inclusive health systems. The findings underscore the crucial need for integrated, context-specific strategies to achieve health equity and efficiency in a VUCA environment.

Challenges in Patient Access to Type 2 Diabetes Care in India and Digital Solutions Deployed by Pharmaceutical Companies

Anuj Tiwari — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) presents a significant global health challenge, with India facing a particularly daunting task due to its large diabetic population. India is known as the "Diabetes Capital of the World," harboring the largest number of diabetes patients worldwide—a condition exacerbated by rapid urbanization and lifestyle transitions. Diabetes is not just a single disease but a root cause of complications such as cardiovascular diseases. Notably, people with diabetes have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. High blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Other complications include diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, ulcers, and infections.

Global South Health Order and Economics Post US Exit from WHO

Urvashi Prasad — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

The announcement of the United States’ exit from the World Health Organization (WHO) marks a watershed moment in global health governance. While the WHO has long been criticized for bureaucratic inefficiencies, politicization, and uneven responsiveness, its role as the only universal health body remains indispensable. Pandemics do not respect borders, and health crises are inherently global. The withdrawal of the world’s largest economy from the WHO further weakens the institution, creating both risks and opportunities. For the Global South, this moment may catalyze a reordering of health leadership. For India, however, it is a double-edged sword: an opening to assert influence, but also a threat as China consolidates its dominance within the WHO’s structures.

AI Healthcare Operations in Africa: A Research Vision

S K Agrawal , G V Ramesh Babu — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

Health African health systems are navigating a dual burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases under conditions of scarce resources, fragile supply chains, and workforce shortages. While digital health tools such as mHealth and EMRs have made inroads, systemic fragmentation, language inequities, and operational inefficiencies persist. Advances in Generative AI, Agentic LLMs, and multimodal intelligence now present an unprecedented opportunity to re-architect healthcare delivery across the continent. This work introduces ALRA-Health, a reference architecture for trustworthy, agentic LLMs designed to operate under low-resource African constraints. The framework integrates multilingual stacks for underrepresented African languages, OPS-HEALTH-AFRICA operational benchmarks, and privacy-by-design governance models, ensuring safe, contextually aligned deployment. Beyond clinical reasoning, we address logistics optimization, vaccine cold-chain resilience, referral triage, and claims automation, reframing AI adoption as both a technical and economic innovation.

Healthcare Navigation by Slum School Teachers

Shibal Bhartiya — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0530

Healthcare navigation has emerged as a critical strategy to bridge the gap between underserved communities and the healthcare system. In slum settings, where access to healthcare is impeded by social, economic, and infrastructural barriers, teachers in slum schools can play a pivotal role as healthcare navigators. This article reviews how teachers facilitate healthcare access for children and their families in urban slum areas, examining their contributions, challenges, and opportunities for integration into broader public health strategies.