Equitable access in global health security must drive real action—not just policy. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) welcomes the World Health Organization’s leadership in health emergencies. This includes surveillance, early warning, coordination, and support for national responses.
Yet global attention to Global Health Security (GHS) has not removed key barriers to care. In humanitarian settings, people still struggle to get timely treatment. Surveillance and early detection matter. But they are not enough on their own.
MSF sees a recurring problem: effective medical tools exist, but patients cannot reach them. During diphtheria outbreaks in West Africa or Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the hardest-hit communities often get help last. The cause is not science—it’s politics. Decisions about who gets care are too often shaped by power, not need.
That’s why equitable access in global health security must be a core pillar of emergency response. The Medical Countermeasures (MCM) framework should prioritize humanitarian delivery. It must work in conflict zones, refugee camps, and remote areas—where bureaucracy and markets fail.
Right now, high-income countries often get vaccines and treatments first. Meanwhile, people in crisis zones wait—or go without. This imbalance weakens the entire system.
True global health security should be measured by one standard: Can it protect the most vulnerable? Strong surveillance means little if a child in a camp can’t get a vaccine that already exists. Early warnings lose value when supplies don’t reach insecure areas.
MSF calls on global leaders to make equitable access in global health security non-negotiable. Preparedness must serve everyone—not just those in capitals or labs, but those on the front lines of outbreaks. Only then will the world be truly ready.
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