Digital Rendering: Digital art on Sketchbook and charcoal on gray-toned paper
By Christina Deligiannis & Sheena Doyle
This post is part of a series in diverse mediums focusing on the theme “How do we envision equity in global health?”. These submissions are by McGill students who were part of the course, Fundamentals of Global Health, in Fall 2023.
Our artwork illustrates disparities in accessing health services by juxtaposing a child and community from a low-to middle-income country (LMIC) against a man from a high-income country (HIC) and his privilege.
On the left half, the white male represents a privileged HIC, attired in a suit symbolizing his political decision-making power. He holds balloons in the form of IV bags containing essential healthcare services such as vaccines, IV pumps, ARV medications, and blood collection tubes. The digital rendering of this portion of the artwork highlights the technological advantages HIC’s have, while the hand-drawn LMIC side conveys the raw, human struggle faced by marginalized communities. On the right half, a child sheds tears while reaching out desperately for the IV balloon that has slipped away from the HIC's clutches. The floating IV bag, filled with a green substance and symbolizing SDG goal 3.8 of universal healthcare (UHC), hovers tantalizingly within reach of the LMIC community, depicting the potential attainment of UHC, which is the ongoing struggle for equitable access to healthcare resources (Universal health care must be a priority - even amid covid 2021). The child is held up by community members, like a flag of hope/resilience, and the outline of Africa they stand on, symbolizes how they keep being left behind in terms accessible healthcare (Kyobutungi et al., 2023).
This juxtaposition symbolizes HIC’s hoarding of healthcare services. It also represents their lack of knowledge translation with LMIC’s and highlights the urgency to ensure equitable access to essential health services for all (Refugee and migrant health 2022). Scarcity among resources in LMIC’s should not exist, such as the need to allocate the scarce resources to children symbolized by the sole mask on the child. Our call to action is to raise awareness about our global responsibility in addressing health inequities and to advocate for solidarity and collaborative efforts; bringing universal healthcare accessibility worldwide to light.
References
Kyobutungi, C., Gitahi, G., Wangari, M.-C., Siema, P., Gitau, E., Sipalla, F., Pai, M., & Oti, S. O. (2023). From vaccine to visa apartheid, how anti-blackness persists in Global Health. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001663
Nature Publishing Group. (2021, May 18). Universal health care must be a priority - even amid covid. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01313-3
World Health Organization. (2022). Refugee and migrant health. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/refugee-and-migrant-health