Building Health Equity in Crisis Through Community-Level Action and Resilience Building: The Cases of Nigeria, Nepal and Brazil

This reflective piece examines health equity during crises in the Global South, focusing on the ongoing conflict in Nigeria, the earthquake in Nepal (2015), and the Zika outbreak in Brazil (2015-2016). Through a systematic review of the literature from 2015 to 2023, it identifies factors that impede and, conversely, support equitable healthcare access, and identifies lessons on context-specific interventions, evaluating their effectiveness in bridging health inequities and building community resilience.

Findings highlight the importance of community-centric approaches, adaptive health systems, intersectoral collaboration, and addressing socio-economic determinants. Evidence also shows that culturally adapted interventions, mobile health technologies, and community health worker programs significantly improve health outcomes and reduce disparities in crisis-affected areas. These insights offer valuable guidance for policymakers and practitioners to develop resilient, equitable health systems in resource-constrained settings facing diverse crises, contributing to global efforts to achieve universal health coverage and sustainable development goals.