Recently, on the 8th of February, International Epilepsy day was celebrated in more than 130 countries to raise awareness about the disease. Epilepsy is a chronic, non-communicable neurological disease, affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide, with 80% of them residing in low- and low-and-middle income countries. Many people with epi...

As co-chair of the ACT-A Facilitation Council, Norway has been a leading proponent of the need for global solidarity to achieve equity in access to Covid-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. By contrast, domestic debates about Norway’s ongoing vaccine roll-out have taken a distinctly populist and nationalist tone in recent weeks. While N...

After various stretches of lockdowns and the related dire political, social, and economic consequences, the world has welcomed the news that several companies – including Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer – are approaching an effective vaccine for Covid-19. Approximately 200 more are in the pipeline, of which 48 in clinical and 164 in pre-clin...

The Global Hunger Index (2020) recently ranked India 94th out of 107 countries, despite a declining undernourished population. Some of the stats speak volumes: the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) found 35.7% children aged less than five years were underweight, and 38.4% were stunted. The need to address malnutrition is thus more urgent...

Warning: dark satire Someone, who was recently side chatting during a virtual meeting showered me with her frustration that the global health discussions are way too “healthy” these days. We should really get some unhealthy stuff mixed into these, she said, as humans have done for forever, for entertainment. I agreed with her, especially as ...

It has been one year since the Government of India declared all of rural India – Open Defecation Free (ODF) – a landmark moment for sanitation in India. This achievement is considered a success of the government’s flagship programme – Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) (which translates to Clean India Mission). With World Toilet Day coming up n...

( this article was written before news broke on the Trumps testing positive) For anyone who had the misfortune of tuning into the first U.S. Presidential Debate earlier this week, the phrase, “elections have consequences” was likely one of the one true things uttered by Donald Trump during a furious, head-spinning 90-odd minutes. I thought ...

Let’s set the scene: a project sought to address the high mortality rates due to malaria in villages in the coastal region of Kenya. The intervention was to distribute insecticide-treated mosquito nets to hundreds of the villages as a preventive measure of malaria. For twelve months, the project distributed the mosquito nets to households in t...

“It is as impossible to withhold education from the receptive mind as it is impossible to force it upon the unreasoning”- Agnes Repplierg India’s New Education Policy (2020) has replaced its 1986 education policy, with the ambitious goal to transform India into a knowledge giant, while ensuring equity and inclusion. This article seeks to und...