Policy Brief

G20 Initiatives to strengthen global health systems

Introduction

There have been several advancements over the past few centuries in healthcare and medical technologies, which have dramatically improved our understanding of the human body and quality of life. However, at the same time, pathogens pose systemic risks to the functioning of our society. After the COVID-19 pandemic, G20 nations recognized the importance of developing resilient public health infrastructure to address, combat, and prevent future pandemics from threatening global society.

B20 and G20 Initiatives on Biomedical Research

B20 Italy

The B20 has put forth several recommendations regarding bio-medical research. The B20 Italy Task Force on Health and Life Sciences recommended that the G20 measure health as an investment and foster the transition to value-based healthcare (VBH). Under the aegis of this recommendation, the B20 2021 Italy Task Force on Health and Life Sciences advocates for three policy actions¹ .

The first recommendation from the B20 Italy Task Force on Health and Life Sciences is that G20 governments should define, implement, monitor, and reward better care standards and patient care pathways. Specifically, the task force advocates for the implementation of Value-Based Funding (VBF) and Value-Based Procurement (VBP) national programs to identify and develop the best care pathways. Moreover, the task force recommends that the G20 promotes increased equity in the health care system to accommodate vulnerable populations like the elderly and women and reduce the burden of care on them.

Next, the B20 Italy Task Force on Health and Life Sciences advocates for integrated core pathways to improve patient outcomes. Specifically, G20 nations should develop integrated primary care networks and promote digital health technologies such as telehealth platforms to increase the practice of VBH. In turn, this would improve health systems and guarantee better access to care.

Finally, the B20 Italy Task Force on Health and Life Sciences recommends that G20 members focus on scaling prevention, screening, diagnosis, and immunization campaigns to highlight wellness initiatives, improve patient outcomes, and promote sustainable health systems.

The B20 Italy Task Force on Health and Life Sciences also issued a second recommendation that calls on G20 nations to build resilient and sustainable health systems. The task force first proposes learning from the COVID-19 pandemic to jointly improve systemic resilience and sustainability, specifically by promoting closer cooperation within various ministries (or departments) within G20 national governments to develop coordinated responses to global pandemics.

Second, it recommends that G20 nations strengthen crisis preparedness and response through the creation of international benchmarks, decreasing go to market times for treatments, and developing national preparedness plans to address future pandemics. Third, the task force calls on G20 nations to build resilient supply chains to ensure easier transport and shipment of treatments and public health materials to better address future pandemics more efficiently. Finally, the task force proposes driving environmentally sustainable health systems through stimulating greater academic and private-public partnership exchanges as well as setting worldwide research priorities to address emerging public health threats.

G20 Brazil

Last year’s G20 Brazil prioritized developing resilient health systems under the G20 Brazil Joint Declaration of the G20 Health Ministers². In the Joint Declaration, the G20 Health Ministers called for the establishment of a Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access that would promote greater global accessibility for vaccines and promote sustainable global production and manufacturing of pharmaceutical and medical therapeutics, particularly in LMIC (Low, Middle-Income Countries). Next, the Joint Declaration called for expanding digital health solutions by promoting affordable, effective telehealth solutions as well as the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the health sector.

Subsequently, the Joint Declaration directly addresses the global shortage of healthcare workers and proposes strengthening labour standards to protect workers as well as promote historically underrepresented groups like women into positions of influence in the global healthcare system. Finally, the Joint Declaration directly addressed the long- term ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic and promotes equitable access to COVID-19 treatment programs for individuals across socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic groups as well as information sharing between countries to better address the long-term effects of COVID-19.

G20 South Africa

The current G20 Secretariat of South Africa has prioritized health under the Sherpa track focused on promoting universal health coverage (UHC)³ and emphasizing Primary Health Care (PHC) as an inclusive, equitable, cost-effective, and efficient approach to enhancing physical and mental health and responding effectively to health emergencies. Under the aegis of the health track, the G20 South Africa Secretariat has identified four key priority areas.

First, the G20 South Africa is focused on accelerating UHC through a PHC focused approach. In the Issue Note on Health, the G20 South Africa calls for strengthening the health and care workforce and directly addressing systemic inequities within the global healthcare workforce. Moreover, the Issue Note calls for the G20 Health Care workforce to correct failures in the production, employment, remuneration, and retention of the health and care workforce to improve self-sustainability in G20 nations. The G20 South Africa intends to achieve this goal by achieving consensus on PHC models for UHC through holding a health and labor high-level dialogue in May 2025 as well as aligning G20 Health efforts alongside the African Health Workforce Investment Charter.

Second, the G20 South Africa plans to focus on stemming non-communicable diseases (NCD) by developing a strong public and private collaboration network with regional and international organizations like the WHO, limit the marketing of unhealthy foods to children and hold a high-level seminar on member states’ efforts to mitigate childhood obesity.

Third, G20 South Africa plans to improve Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response (PPPR) by building on the G20 Brazil initiative to Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access and introducing the establishment of an Alliance for Regional Production and Innovation.

Finally, the South Africa G20 intends to work on the Commission/Initiative on Science and Innovation for Health and Economic Growth to improve integrated approaches to health. Next, the G20 South Africa plans to develop an evidence map of present approaches and funding of scientific ecosystems and leverage lessons learned from other countries on using resources for scientific development to establish a strategic and practical framework on structuring domestic scientific ecosystems.

Conclusion

Public health continues to remain as a shared global challenge that requires significant cooperation the global private and public sector to deter future global pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world the destructive capacity that pathogens can have on the global economic system and the importance of continuing, at both a state and corporate level, to support and advance scientific research and technology.

Note