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How Can We Address the Effects of Economic Downturns on Systemic Health Crises?
Series | All-Hazards Preparedness and Response
Authors: Elisa Landín, Clara Marín, Gonzalo Fanjul, Antoni Plasència, Megan Naidoo, Natanael Silva, Daniella Cavalcanti, Álvaro Flores, Elizabet Diago, Felipe Alves, Davide Rasella* [ This document is one of a series of discussion notes addressing fundamental questions about global health. Its purpose is to transfer scientific knowledge into the public conversation and the decisionmaking process. These documents are based on the best information available and may be updated as new information comes to light. ]
28 July 2023 Photo: UN Women/Ryan Brown
Today, we face an era of multiple and compounding crises that threaten the stability and well-being of nations and their populations. The confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic, violent conflicts, and the climate crisis have generated what is commonly referred to as the “3 C’s”.1 This multiple crises scenario, also defined as “polycrisis”, presents a complex and interrelated set of challenges, particularly for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which often bear the brunt of these crises due to their lack of resources and their many vulnerabilities.2 Consequently, while differing in nature,
magnitude, and consequences, the 3 C’s along with other ongoing crises - have the potential to cause local, national and even global economic downturns, increasing poverty rates and inequalities, along with multiple others worrisome consequences.3 As summarized in Figure 1, economic downturns resulting from the 3C’s can directly and indirectly affect a wide range of health outcomes in LMICs disproportionally impacting the poorest communities, which are structurally less resilient than the average population.4 Some of the most affected health outcomes
*Elisa Landín is a research technician at the ISGlobal’s Health Impact Assessment Group. Clara Marín is coordinator of ISGlobal’s Global Analysis and Development department. Gonzalo Fanjul is ISGlobal’s Policy Director. Antoni Plasència is Director General of ISGlobal. Megan Naidoo is a predoctoral fellow at the ISGlobal’s Health Impact Assessment Group. Natanael Silva is a predoctoral fellow at the ISGlobal’s Health Impact Assessment Group. Daniella Cavalcanti is a researcher at the Institute of Collective Health at the Federal University of Bahia, Bahia, Brazil. Álvaro Flores is a resident in Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid. Elizabet Diago is coordinator of the ISGlobal Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Resilience working group. Felipe Alves is a postdoctoral fellow at the ISGlobal’s Health Impact Assessment Group. Davide Rasella is Director of the ISGlobal’s Health Impact Assessment Group. 1 United Nations (UN). (2022), The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, New York. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/ 2 3 4
World Econ. Forum. (2023), Global Risks Report https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-report-2023/ World Bank. (2022), Poverty and Shared Prosperity. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/poverty-and-shared-prosperity Glonti K, Gordeev VS, GoryakinY, et al. (2015), A Systematic Review on Health Resilience to Economic Crises. PLoS ONE; 10: e0123117.
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