Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Substandard and falsified medicines cause humanitarian and economic harm, particularly on the African continent. They are a global problem that requires a coordinated international response.
Planetary and human health are inseparably connected; yet, health-care systems produce considerable amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution. A growing movement to measure and mitigate the health sector’s own climate damage is underway, supported by national policies and clinical innovation.
Loneliness is associated with increased mortality and a higher risk of some cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological disorders. Co-ordinated approaches at the individual, community and society levels are needed to reduce loneliness.
Financial toxicity, that is, the negative effects of the economic burden of medical care, can lead to poor patient well-being and quality of life. Co-ordinated efforts by those involved in health care, supported by research into remedial approaches, are needed to ease the burden on patients.
