Global Health Monopoly

It is said we live in a brave new ‘transactional’ era now, and so I was wondering whether some business-savvy person, called Donald or otherwise, could come up with a Global Health version of “Monopoly”, the most transactional boardgame of all (true, these days, it would technically need to be combined with “Risk”, in order to fit the current geopolitical times even better, but I’ll keep that for another day).   

 

What could make a country or other global health “stakeholder” earn a few places extra in this boardgame, or lead to some other ‘position switches’, given the difficult “trade-offs” they all face?

Well, from the top of my mind:

·         As a strong “leader”, you cut your ODA, in order to have more funding for defence (and in the process appease an authoritarian leader not too keen on aid). Yet,  you call it a ‘terribly difficult decision’.   (move forward three places)

·         Yes, some of your citizens might run the risk of getting their heads chopped off on a bad day, but nevertheless, in the Grand Global Health Scheme of things, you can totally make up for that by some charitable funding for polio eradication.   (hurray, move forward four places!)

·         There’s a pandemic going on, but your Foundation isn’t too keen on a TRIPS waiver (move forward five places, ànd you get a front seat in COVAX)

·         You run a Public-Private partnership, and reckon you’re doing an amazing job by having the private sector contribute one billion   ( six places extra – and you get a front seat at the World Health Summit in Berlin)

·         You are a visionary billionaire who knows exactly what needs to be done on global health as well as on climate change?    (you go straight to the boardgame spots that are heavily bankable, and can start setting up expensive global health hotels till you drop)

·         During a pandemic, you talk all the time about ‘Leaving no one behind’ and ‘Nobody is safe till everybody is safe’, yet your organisation naturally makes sure your continent comes first when it comes to vaccines   (ten places extra, plus you also get invited to all sorts of High-Level Global Health Events where you shine like Johnny Logan on a Eurosong stage )

·         You pride yourself on being a ‘Global Health Leader’ for decades, yet you help facilitate a genocide?      ( as many in Global Health power corridors pretend their nose is bleeding, no worries! )

·         You support a brutal militia in another country, yet, your regime is considered a ‘donor darling’  and has been doing reasonably well on HDI (go to ‘global health prison’, but only for a few months –  and sooner or later, Dr Tedros will call you a ‘Brother’ again 😊)

·         You label ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability'  disparagingly as  ‘DEI and climate change’ and thus anti-the “values” in your country?    (no worries, WHO leadership still tries to convince you to come back to the organisation!  And so your next roll with the dice counts double )  

·         You run an international football organisation that is rather corrupt and love to fly with private jets all around the world, yet you have a partnership with WHO on ‘sports and health’   (jackpot, you get invited to the new US president’s inauguration!)

·         ….

 

 

As many spots on the board game still need to be filled, do add !

 

(Disclaimer: don’t take this too seriously)