Sushmita Sen, Global Medical Scientific Alliances of Oncology and Hematology of Roche, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Every year, as we pause to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday, his wisdom feels not just historically significant, but acutely relevant to the crises and challenges facing the world today. What makes Dr. King’s philosophy so resilient and enduring is that he didn’t merely advocate for legislative or societal changes, he spoke to the fundamental mechanics of the human heart, the ethical obligations that underpin a truly just society, and the interconnectedness of human fate.
His words hold a particular resonance for those of us in healthcare. Dr. King famously remarked that
“of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman.”
In cancer care, a stark contrast exists between what science makes possible and the actual human experience of cancer care. The “delivery” of care is the critical point where the ambitious promise of science collides with the harsh reality of human life.
The impact of health inequities cannot be contained or quarantined in some distant, forgotten parts of the world. In an increasingly interconnected world, we cannot just rely on a privileged “first-world” infrastructure that ignores the “third-world” pockets of deprivation.
This raises a fundamental strategic question for the future of care delivery: Is the decentralization of care delivery the next crucial frontier that can genuinely bring high-quality healthcare to everyone, everywhere, bridging the gap between innovation and access?
Ultimately, every year, MLK Day serves as a powerful, necessary reminder to those of us in healthcare that true progress is measured not by innovations but how broadly and justly make them accessible.”
