Portrait of a young smiling Indian female doctor, standing in front of a rural clinic and wearing a stethoscope while holding up a phone with a health app on the screen.
Image credit: Dimple Bhati on iStock. Phone screen from SleepScore app.

In our era of rapid healthcare transformation, technological innovations have brought many promising breakthroughs. Yet beneath the surface, a different story unfolds. As the world trends on the edge of a healthcare revolution, we now confront a critical issue: the inadvertent widening of health inequities by these very innovations. Socioeconomic barriers obstruct access to lifesaving innovations, leaving those who need them most in the shadows.

Evolving health technology has brought remarkable benefits. Remote monitoring tools make it easier for people to manage chronic conditions from their homes. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have enhanced the accuracy of diagnostics, and mobile health applications have brought healthcare resources into the palms of users globally. However, these breakthroughs often assume a level of access, infrastructure, and digital literacy that is far from universal.

On the edge of a healthcare revolution, we now confront…the inadvertent widening of health inequities by these very innovations.

In high-income countries, these technologies are embedded within existing healthcare systems supported by strong digital infrastructure. But in low-income communities and populations with limited electricity, internet connectivity, and basic healthcare infrastructure, these innovations remain out of reach and foreign. This growing disparity excludes marginalized communities, low-income populations, and rural areas—who would benefit most from these modern inventions—perpetuating a cycle of inequality on the global stage.

Socioeconomic Barriers to Access

The divide in the healthcare system is largely attributed to the socioeconomic status of patients. For instance, telemedicine gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its success largely depended on reliable internet connections and digital literacy. 37 percent.

Health technology today relies heavily on data, yet inequities abound.

Another factor that hinders the availability of telemedicine is that even those with internet connectivity need a level of digital literacy to access telemedicine, which particularly affects the elderly population and people with disabilities.

Many pathbreaking health technologies, like gene therapies or state-of-the-art prosthetics, often come with price tags out of reach for low-income communities, thereby amplifying already existing disparities. For instance, gene therapies such as Zolgensma cost as much as $2.1 million, while Luxturna comes in a still-exorbitant second at $850,000. Prosthetics cost about $5,000 to over $10,000 with advanced bionic models. Both of these innovations promise transformative health benefits to all but remain inaccessible to many, raising concerns around affordability and equity in the healthcare sector.

The consequence of the current global healthcare divide is huge.

Health technology today relies heavily on data, yet inequities abound. There is a lack of representation in health databases for many marginalized communities, leading to biased algorithms and diagnostic tools. For example, studies have shown that pulse oximeters provide less accurate readings for individuals with darker skin tones, overestimating oxygen saturation in Black patients than in White patients. This can result in misdiagnoses or delayed treatments for patients of color.

Similarly, facial recognition software and diagnostic AI tools often perform poorly on individuals from underrepresented ethnic groups because of biased training data. This can only be remedied by gathering more inclusive data and implementing ethical AI practices prioritizing diversity and equity.

Meanwhile, the consequence of the current global healthcare divide is huge. In sub-Saharan Africa, where maternal mortality rates remain high, inadequate access to essential health technologies like ultrasound machines has been a major cause of preventable deaths. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sub-Saharan Africa contributes 70 percent against global maternal mortality ratios. Exchange rate fluctuations and limited resources make it difficult for these regions to acquire and maintain the necessary medical equipment.

Similarly, in rural India, the burden of chronic diseasesat an alarming rate. A study published in The Lancet found that rural areas in India are experiencing a faster growth rate of noncommunicable diseases compared to urban centers. Much like in sub-Saharan Africa, the lack of access to diagnostic tools and treatments exacerbates health outcomes for these populations.

Bridging the Gap: Collaborative Solutions

To bridge the widening gap in global healthcare services, it is imperative to establish a system that encourages collaboration between the private and public sectors through product development partnerships (PDPs). Such partnerships leverage the advantages provided by both sectors to ensure that innovations in healthcare become affordable and available for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Funding these alliances is vital for developing solutions to common health issues such as maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and chronic conditions.

Some successful PDPs include the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), which has developed affordable life-saving drugs, and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), which has brought many innovative treatments for illnesses like Chagas disease to underserved communities. These partnerships show how basic infrastructure and expertise can successfully tackle complex health issues in communities and areas with limited resources.

At the same time, there is a growing need to create a responsive system within the health sector that can quickly respond to emerging health threats worldwide. Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent spike in the mpox virus, the be on strengthening routine healthcare, bolstering preparedness for sustainable health equity.

When designing and implementing such health technologies, marginalized communities’ specific requirements should be considered. Many solutions are created with high-resource settings in mind, disregarding the unique challenges faced by low-resource environments. Technologies that do not consider cultural contexts may be less effective or even rejected by the communities they aim to serve.

By involving community members with lived experience in the design process, technologies can be tailored to be culturally appropriate, user-friendly, and responsive to the actual needs of the population. This participatory approach ensures that health innovations are not just technically advanced but also practically applicable in diverse settings.

Countries already burdened with fragile health systems struggle even more to keep pace with the rapid evolution of health technology. The vision of universal health coverage becomes increasingly elusive when the very tools needed to achieve it are inaccessible to those who need them most.

Investing in digital infrastructure, capacity building, and education in low-income and minority communities can help bridge the digital divide access to health technologies by providing reliable internet connectivity and electricity. Initiatives like eHealth Africa and Project HOPE exemplify this. These organizations deploy solar-powered internet hubs and offer training programs that teach healthcare workers and communities how to use telemedicine platforms effectively, bridging the digital divide and improving healthcare delivery.

A Call for Equity-Focused Innovation

The path forward lies in a deliberate, equity-focused approach to innovation. Health technologies must be developed with affordability, scalability, and contextual relevance at the forefront, ensuring they are tailored to the needs of low-resource settings. This requires a commitment to designing solutions with, rather than for, marginalized communities.

Partnerships between governments, the private sector, and civil society are essential to creating an ecosystem where innovation aligns with the broader goal of health equity. By fostering collaboration and shared responsibility, stakeholders can work toward making health tech advancements accessible to all.

While it is crucial to push the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare, the sector must also remain vigilant against the unintended consequences of innovation. The global divide in health technology is not an inevitable outcome but a challenge that can be addressed through thoughtful, inclusive, and equitable strategies.

By confronting this divide head-on, health policymakers can ensure that the benefits of the healthcare revolution are shared by all, regardless of geographic or socioeconomic status. This approach is essential to achieving a future where health technology truly serves as a tool for universal health and social justice.