Health systems and medical interventions will be more effective if they can be widely disseminated to communities in need
New health discoveries are often not immediately accessible or affordable to the average individual, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
When we think of health innovations, we are often drawn to images of scientists in laboratories making ground-breaking discoveries - inventing state-of-the-art equipment using a highly sophisticated computerised system, or formulating a revolutionary new drug or treatment.
While the publicity and hope that is normally associated with these types of breakthroughs is understandable, the reality is that new health discoveries are often not immediately accessible or affordable to the average individual, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Poorer populations are generally the last to get access to them.
The ability to improve the health of individuals depends on much more than new discoveries or having the tools or the medications to diagnose or treat a disease. Rather, it rests on the ability of the health system to absorb and roll-out new technologies through existing services, with minimal disruption and maximum effect.
Advances in medical interventions will mean very little and have little effect on the burden of disease unless there exists a strong health system through which programmes can be rolled out as widely as possible into communities.