Opportunities for the Obama Administration and the G20 “to Do Good” for Global Health
Sisule F. Musungu
The deepening of globalization in the last few decades spurred by the huge improvements in air travel, increased international trade, the power of the internet and the global labour mobility has made healthcare issues truly global. This is not only because there is increased interdependence in the provision of healthcare between countries but also because of the increase in transnational health risks. Consequently, more than ever before, the world needs effective global health governance. This article argues that the Obama administration working with other G20 countries, and indeed the rest of the world community, can seize this historic moment “to do good” for global health by providing leadership to reform the governance of the World Health Organization (WHO) and by helping address a number of priority global health issues. These priorities relate to: innovation and access to medicines in developing countries; “counterfeit medicines”; the health impacts of climate change; and preparedness for epidemics and pandemics.