Global Health Security Index
The Global Health Security Index presents the results of an assessment of global health security capabilities in 195 countries prepared by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). It was first published in 2019. It shows that "no country is fully prepared for epidemics or pandemics, and every country has important gaps to address". In 2019, the countries in the category "most prepared" were - in alphabetical order - Australia, Canada, Finland, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The United States was ranked first with an index value of 83.5 out of 100. The largest number of countries in the category "least prepared" was in Western and Central Africa.[1]
Method
The report is based on a questionnaire of 140 questions, organized across 6 categories, 34 indicators, and 85 subindicators. The six categories are:
- Prevention: Prevention of the emergence or release of pathogens
- Detection and Reporting: Early detection and reporting for epidemics of potential international concern
- Rapid Response: Rapid response to and mitigation of the spread of an epidemic
- Health System: Sufficient and robust health system to treat the sick and protect health workers
- Compliance with International Norms: Commitments to improving national capacity, financing plans to address gaps, and adhering to global norms
- Risk Environment: Overall risk environment and country vulnerability to biological threats
The index relies entirely on open-source information. The researchers worked with an international advisory panel of 21 experts from 13 countries.[2]
Funding
The development of the index was funded by, among others, the Open Philanthropy Project, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Robertson Foundation.[2]
The GHS index came to prominence during the outbreak of the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak. On February 27, 2020, President Donald Trump held up a map based on the GHS index showing the United States was "the best prepared country in the world for a pandemic". However, one of the consultants working on the project, Priya Bapat, pointed out that "even though the US does rank at the top for the index, there are areas where there is room for improvement", notably access to healthcare.[3]
External links
References
- ^ "GHS Index: Findings and Recommendations". Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ a b "GHS Index: About". Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ Brueck, Hilary. "Trump held up a map showing the US is the best prepared country in the world for a pandemic, but only for the rich, influential, and fully insured". Business Insider. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
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