Abstract
There is a clear and evident need for mutual learning in global health systems. It is increasingly recognized that innovation needs to be sourced globally and that we need to think in terms of co-development as ideas are developed and spread from richer to poorer countries and vice versa. The Globalization and Health journal’s ongoing thematic series, “Reverse innovation in global health systems: learning from low-income countries” illustrates how mutual learning and ideas about so-called "reverse innovation" or "frugal innovation" are being developed and utilized by researchers and practitioners around the world. The knowledge emerging from the series is already catalyzing change and challenging the status quo in global health. The path to truly “global innovation flow”, although not fully established, is now well under way. Mobilization of knowledge and resources through continuous communication and awareness raising can help sustain this movement. Global health learning laboratories, where partners can support each other in generating and sharing lessons, have the potential to construct solutions for the world. At the heart of this dialogue is a focus on creating practical local solutions and, simultaneously, drawing out the lessons for the whole world.
Highlights
The need for mutual learning between people and health services around the world-and the place in this for what is frequently called reverse or frugal innovation-are becoming clearer year by year as we recognise the enormity of the changes that face us
The journal’s thematic series, ‘Reverse innovation in global health systems: learning from low-income countries’–has within a year–been able to bring out the dynamism and creativity of this field to illustrate how the concept of reverse innovation is being developed by researchers and practitioners in many different places and in many different ways
Summary Four years ago I called for a Movement: changes in professional education and increases in exchanges between high and low and middle-income countries to facilitate shared learning and facilitate the transformation that needs to take place in health [10]
Summary
It is interesting to note that whilst many countries are seeking to create or expand universal health coverage for their people, others in Europe and the west are struggling to find ways to maintain it. Perhaps even more importantly, we are ignoring the extraordinary potential of learning from people and countries, which frequently don’t have an established infrastructure and are freer to experiment and innovate. People in these countries are working all too often with a blank slate and could, if we saw it in this way, be learning on behalf of us all
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