Quantum Superposition and Global Health: Chasing Possibilities

The past couple of weeks have got me pondering quantum superposition and wondering if quantum physics has found ways that whole humans could exist concurrently in multiple places just like subatomic particles have been discovered to do.

While I am physically in enchanting (and hot!) Geneva where I have just chaired my first in person board meeting as Chair of FIND, my mind wanders into the realm of possibilities for change, for collaboration, for disruption through innovation and rebalancing of power, and into Paris where the Summit for a New Global financing Pact has just ended.

As part of FIND board meeting activities, we were privileged to be able to meet with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, as well as Assistant Directors Generals Dr. Hanan Balkhy and Dr. Yukiko Nakatani and Chef du Cabinet, Dr Razia Pendse to discuss strategic partnerships.  Our meeting has resulted in a recommitment to FIND as the key strategic WHO partner for diagnostics. These discussions followed hard on the heels of the landmark diagnostics resolution adopted at the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva last month.

We also we welcomed new board members and gave our gratitude and thanks to outgoing ones. Among the new board members was a highly accomplished finance professional whose presence made me think even more about the critical role of financing in the pressing challenges of our time climate and health security. Without effective, strategic, and sufficient financing, all our plans, declarations, and resolutions risk being little more than ink on paper. It is also why I have closely followed President Emanuelle Macron’s Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact.

As I am not a subatomic particle that can perform the wonder of being in two or more places at once, my work in global health has whisked me from the vibrant Indian subcontinent to energetic Nigeria and back to the charming landscapes of Europe. I can feel my body begin to protest.

Amidst a flurry of meetings, it sometimes requires a pause and a moment of reflection to recall which city I find myself in, although my schedule is by no means the busiest in the realm of global health professionals. Consider the indefatigable Dr. Tedros, who graced our FIND meeting in Geneva to discuss our strategic partnership on diagnostics, only to swiftly depart for Paris to delve into the complexities of the Global Financing Pact. And he still has the immense responsibility of running the WHO in the meantime. If I did not see him leaving, I might have wondered if he had cracked quantum superposition and refused to share the secret with the rest of us mortals.

While many in Europe are preparing to unwind and embark on their summer holidays, the world of global health charges forward with unwavering determination, tackling the urgent interventions that demand our attention. A glance at the global health calendar reveals a relentless succession of meetings and deliberations, oftentimes overlapping. One may find themselves torn between informal inter-sessional WHO meetings discussing the Pandemic Accord and the High-Level Political declaration discussions at the UNGA, both transpiring between June 26th and 27th. In another example of this overlap, conflicts arise between the final HLM PPR political declaration reading on July 24th and 25th and the fourth WGIHR occurring from July 24th to 28th.

Before we discover quantum superposition for humans, I would suggest that there is a need for coherence among these high-level meetings and the INB process for the Pandemic Accord. These processes are intertwined, and I can envision global health stakeholders who would be needed to participate in both gatherings.

Promoting coherence in our processes will streamline interventions and prevent unnecessary overlaps that burden the real humans driving these noble ideas and endeavours. Often, we forget the toll these back-to-back meetings exact on our physical well-being, even as we advocate and toil relentlessly for global health and health for all. It is essential for each of us to remember our own health amidst this fervor. Clarity can fade when exhaustion sets in, a predicament that can befall anyone. Although there is wisdom in the Yoruba saying, "Nítorí-i ká lè simi la ṣe ńṣe àì-simi" (one must forgo rest to be able to rest), it is equally vital to acknowledge that "báyé bá já kò ní àmúso" (once the string of life is cut, it cannot be retied). Recognizing when to pause, breathe, and recharge, ready to confront future challenges, is always commendable.

On the subject of health financing, while we applaud endeavours aimed at enhancing funding for climate initiatives and global health, it is vital to reflect on the words of Peter Sands, the head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. He aptly warns that innovative financial instruments and private sector mobilization possess limited efficacy when it comes to uplifting the world's poorest people. In his own words, "Some of the enthusiasm for innovation is basically a proxy. When you don't actually want to give money, you talk about innovative finance." These sentiments resonate particularly regarding health financing in the Global South, and Africa, in particular. Developing robust health financing systems should be a shared objective among all nations. Even the wealthiest countries find it increasingly challenging to keep pace with rising healthcare costs, and the current economic downturn exacerbates the strain on health expenditures. Empowering African regional banks to take charge of health financing on the continent is crucial. Leveraging institutions like the ADB (African Development Bank) is invaluable, given their expertise in mobilizing private sector funding for substantial investment.

The dedication and camaraderie exhibited by colleagues in this field inspire me, and I extend my warmest wishes them all and particularly to my sister Precious Matsoso in Geneva as she co-chairs the vital INB process. More power to all those tirelessly working to create a safer and healthier world for everyone, with a particular emphasis on the most vulnerable among us.

While we strive for coherence, let us also bear in mind that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, as the saying goes. Or, to borrow a saying from Hausa, when a dog was informed of an impending feast in its owner's house, it declared, "When I see the food on the ground, then I'll know there is a feast." Declarations and resolutions amount to little without meaningful implementation. We require all resources—human, political, social, cultural, and diplomatic—to ensure that these sleepless nights and relentless meetings yield tangible outcomes, not just for the reports and websites of our organizations but for the people in communities worldwide who desperately need these interventions, whether for pandemic preparedness, diagnostics, or climate-related endeavors.

Ultimately, we embark on these endeavors for them, for ourselves, and for the creation of a better, healthier, and safer world. And please, if there are any updates on quantum superposition, let me know. I’ll be the first to try it out.