Global Health at a Turning Point: Risks and Urgent Reforms

Global Health at a Turning Point: Risks and Urgent Reforms

The future of global health hangs in the balance as funding freezes, political shifts, and cascading global crises threaten decades of progress. Derek Yach, Aviva Ron, and Dorit Nitzan provide a sobering assessment in their new publication, The Golden Age of Global Health is Over. What Follows?.

The consequences are dire: projections suggest up to 460,000 additional AIDS-related deaths in children and 1 million new pediatric HIV infections by 2030 if PEPFAR cuts persist. Meanwhile, low- and middle-income countries face growing debt burdens that limit their ability to rebuild strained health systems post-COVID.

The authors argue for an urgent shift toward sustainable domestic financing, strategic donor transitions, and stronger regional coalitions, such as the Africa CDC model. These steps are critical to maintaining access to essential services, especially for vulnerable populations. Without coordinated reforms, the rollback of international aid could fuel disease resurgence and deepen inequities in health outcomes.