DR VIKRAM PATEL, the Pershing Square Professor of Global Health in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and a well-known expert in public health, will take charge as the new chair of Global Health and Social Medicine at the prestigious Harvard Medical School on September 1. Patel has served on several World Health Organization advisory committees and has served on multiple Lancet commissions on global mental health. He currently co-leads the Lancet commission on reimagining India’s health care system. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Patel spoke about a range of issues from the barriers in achieving health equity to the problems with our medical curriculum. Excerpts:
Q/ Harvard has partnered with historically black educational institutions to promote equity, social justice, and human rights. How do you envision fostering similar partnerships with institutions in the global south?
A/ First and foremost, it's important to acknowledge that health inequities stem from distinct historical factors in various countries. In the United States, a significant portion of these disparities can be traced back to a history marked by violence, beginning with the mistreatment of indigenous and native American peoples, followed by the atrocities inflicted upon enslaved African populations.
India grapples with a distinct form of structural violence perpetuated through its caste system. Interestingly, both nations share a form of violence that transcends borders, namely the impact of neoliberal systems that have exacerbated wealth disparities on a global scale.
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