Five years ago, the world was just starting to realise the full, global implications of COVID-19. However, there was a truth about COVID-19 that was slower to become apparent: the huge disparities in how it affected the world’s rich and poor. The reality was, who you were, and where you lived, significantly affected your chances of survival.

The spread was rapid and startling – just seven days after the first death outside China on 20 January 2020, fatalities had been recorded in North America, Australia, Europe and several other Asian countries.

However, there was a truth about COVID-19 that was slower to become apparent: the huge disparities in how it affected the world’s rich and poor. The reality was, who you were, and where you lived, significantly affected your chances of survival.

The root causes stem from a combination of deep-rooted and systemic factors - be they social, economic, political, environmental or commercial…

• In poorer countries healthcare systems were often already under strain before the pandemic hit and, even in more developed nations, the health services available to the affluent are vastly different to those experienced by the most deprived
• Poorer people are more likely to experience pre-existing health conditions that increase their mortality when they did contract coronavirus
• A greater proportion of lower-paid workers have roles that mean they can’t avoid contact with others

Sadly the list of reasons goes on. Now, for many, COVID-19 is something they live with, rather than die of.

And yet it’s essential to remain alive to the health inequalities that COVID-19 brought into sharp focus. That’s because, not only are such inequalities still present, they are in some cases, even greater than five years ago. Even in the US, healthy life expectancy has reduced since 2020, with a person now expected to live for 63.9 years in full health - a reduction against the 2020 figure of 64.4 years (source: WHO United States of America).

At the same time, it’s an uncomfortable truth that a new pandemic could emerge.

As such, it's more essential than ever that the leaders of the future, whether in charities, government, healthcare or international development, have the understanding of global systems and the skills to affect change and reduce inequalities that will better protect the global poor from future outbreaks.

To help address this, the University is launching an MSc in Global Health Equity.

It is designed to provide students with the understanding of global health systems, public health approaches and how the wider determinants of health affect chronic and infectious disease, enabling them to contribute to reducing health disparities across the world.

As a two-year, part-time programme delivered predominantly online it has been developed to be combined with existing work or personal commitments.

By the end of the programme, students will gain the knowledge and the skills to design research programmes and implement strategies that drive us towards a world where everyone has access to high-quality healthcare.

It’s taught by research-active academics in the Division of Health Research, many of whom are world-renowned in their fields of expertise and have over ten years' experience in delivering innovative online programmes. Blended (distance) learning means students can learn and research from wherever they are in the world.

Find out more on the Lancaster University website: Global Health Equity MSc - Lancaster University