‘Access to (Pandemic) Medicines in the Cuban Health Security Framework’ project included the participation of LACC Associate Academic Dr Clare Wenham (Assistant Professor in Global Health Policy, LSE Department of Health Policy) and researchers at the Escuela de Salud Publica de Cuba. It was funded by the United Kingdom (UK) Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Prosperity Fund.
Cuban healthcare offers many lessons for global health security
Cuban healthcare offers many lessons for global health security, featuring Dr Clare Wenham.
Cuba is renowned for its healthcare system, especially its ‘prevention before cure’ approach. The team worked with Cuban policymakers and stakeholders to examine how GHS, which seeks to mitigate risks posed by the spread of infectious disease, can contribute to greater resilience in Cuba’s health provision.
The project contributed policy knowledge of health services globally, including the UK; new methodological and data capability; and approaches to building infrastructure and resilience capabilities. It considered access to medicines in universal health care (UHC) and GHS settings in Cuba; considerations of stockpiling, shortages, and pricing of drugs during a health emergency; and the relative importance of each policy goal of UHC and GHS in practice.
Cuba’s potential for the JEE in Havana, Cuba, the Universidad de la Habana, FLACSO Cuba, and the LSE (3 December 2019).
The conference facilitated a dialogue about Cuba’s contribution to our understanding of Global Health Security, specifically focusing on:
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How Global health security (GHS) that seeks to mitigate risks posed by spread of infectious disease can contribute to greater resilience in Cuba’s health provision.
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Tested Cuba’s preparedness to undergo the JEE, identified what gaps remain, and how these might be tackled.
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As synergies are promoted between GHS and universal health coverage (UHC), the conference analysed how Cuba can develop UHC whilst strengthening pandemic preparedness.