Global Health Security Index

Global Health Security Index was released by Nuclear Threat Initiative and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. It was developed with Economist Impact. It is a comprehensive assessment and benchmarking of health security and related capabilities across the 195 countries that are the states Parties to International Health Regulations of WHO.

Global Findings

  • The world is acutely vulnerable to health emergencies in the future as close to 73% of countries did not have the ability to provide faster approvals for medical countermeasures, such as vaccines and antiviral drugs, during a public health emergency.
  • Almost 79% of countries had not allocated national funds within the past three years to improve their capacity to address epidemic threats and a whopping 82% of countries have low to moderate levels of public confidence in their government.

India’s Rank

  • India ranks 66 out of 195 countries in the world with an Index score of 42.8.

Pillars of Health Security

The index measures health security on the basis of following pillars-

  • Prevent: Emergence or release of pathogens
  • Detect and report: Early detection and reporting of 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.
  • 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.

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