Health is often cast as a cost rather than an investment, but Vanessa Kerry has argued that this mindset is dangerously outdated. The CEO of Seed Global Health and the World Health Organization’s special envoy for climate change and health said stronger health systems are not only central to prosperity but also vital for protecting communities against the impacts of climate change.
“When we talk about economic growth, we too often forget that it is deeply tied to human well-being,” Kerry said at Devex’s Impact House on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this year. Her message revolved around two themes: health drives prosperity, and investing in health is one of the most effective ways to build climate resilience.
Kerry argued that the world is paying a high price for treating health as an afterthought. Chronic underinvestment has left health systems fragile, and when resources are suddenly withdrawn, the effects can be catastrophic. She pointed to recent U.S. aid cuts, which she said collapsed referral networks, disrupted supply chains, and made essential medicines vanish — some costing as little as 16 cents a day. The result, she added, is an estimated half a million lives lost directly because of those funding decisions.
About the author
Ayenat Mersie
Ayenat Mersie is a Global Development Reporter for Devex. Previously, she worked as a freelance journalist for publications such as National Geographic and Foreign Policy and as an East Africa correspondent for Reuters.
