Global health diplomacy, technology and healthcare experts converged at The 2024 NYC C3 Summit Davos of Healthcare™ on Sept. 16 in New York City. The conference, organized by C3 Summit International, featured discussions on how advances in tech-driven healthcare can address current and future global challenges.
Among the leaders from government, academia, business and finance speaking at the summit: General David H. Petraeus, chairman of the KKR Global Institute and former CIA director and head of US Central Command. His keynote, introduced by Cure CEO Seema Kumar, focused on "Geopolitics, Conflict, and Healthcare," exploring the intersection of healthcare delivery, technologies and the challenges posed by global conflicts.
The Impact of Conflict on Healthcare Systems
One of the most immediate and devastating effects of conflict is the destruction of healthcare infrastructure. In regions like Ukraine, combatants frequently target healthcare facilities, making it nearly impossible for medical professionals to deliver care.
Petraeus noted that Russian forces have deliberately attacked hospitals and other healthcare facilities. "They hit directly the children's hospital... they have done the same in other locations," he said, illustrating the lengths to which combatants will go to destabilize essential services.
In addition to the physical damage to hospitals and clinics, conflicts often lead to widespread power outages and logistical breakdowns that further hinder healthcare delivery. For example, the destruction of electrical infrastructure in Ukraine has left many medical facilities without reliable power, severely limiting their ability to perform life-saving procedures.
"If you don't have reliable heat and light, it puts great limits on what medical facilities can do," Petraeus explained, adding that getting medical supplies and medicines into conflict zones becomes increasingly difficult when roads, airports, and other transportation networks are damaged.
This is not an isolated issue. In conflict zones across the world, like Sudan and Myanmar, medical systems are overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis. In these regions, healthcare infrastructure is already underdeveloped, making it even harder to deliver care when conflict erupts. Petraeus highlighted the stark reality for those in these regions, noting, "The prospects for someone wounded on a battlefield there are dramatically reduced."
Mental Health in Conflict Zones: A Growing Crisis
Beyond the physical toll, conflict has a profound impact on the mental health of both soldiers and civilians. In countries like Ukraine, where the war has dragged on for more than two years, mental health has become a significant issue.
Petraeus pointed to estimates that suggest half the population in Ukraine is suffering from some form of trauma, anxiety or depression. He highlighted an innovative initiative combining technology and mental health expertise to create an AI-enabled platform to provide help remotely.
"The initiative is to build a combination of tech experts and mental health experts... to provide assistance," he said. The idea is to leverage technology to provide accessible, scalable mental health support in regions where in-person care is limited or unavailable.
The mental health crisis in conflict zones is not limited to civilians. Soldiers and first responders on the frontlines of these conflicts face enormous psychological pressure. Petraeus spoke from personal experience about the psychological toll that war takes on those tasked with saving lives under fire.
"The pressure that they're under, trying to save the life of a fellow human being... the brotherhood of the close fight as it's called... it's extraordinary," he said. For many soldiers, the trauma of war leaves lasting scars that require long-term mental health support.
Accelerating Medical Innovation in Conflict
While war is enormously destructive, it can also drive significant innovation, particularly in the medical field. Petraeus shared his experiences from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, where the military developed rapid-response medical systems that dramatically improved survival rates. The key to this success was the military's ability to get wounded soldiers from the battlefield to a medical facility within the critical "golden hour"—the first hour after injury when prompt treatment is most likely to save a life.
"We were getting soldiers from the point of injury to the hospital in under 45 minutes on average," Petraeus explained. This rapid medical evacuation, combined with advancements in trauma care and battlefield medicine, led to survival rates that were unprecedented in previous wars. These practices developed for military use eventually find their way into civilian healthcare systems, where they can save lives in emergency rooms and trauma centers around the world.
Petraeus also drew parallels between military medical innovation and the rapid development of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Nothing prompts innovation... like being at war," he said.
Just as the pressures of conflict drive advancements in battlefield medicine, the urgency of a global pandemic spurred unprecedented collaboration between governments, healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies. Researchers began working on vaccines within weeks of sequencing the virus, drawing on lessons learned from past public health crises and wartime innovations.
The Role of Partnerships and Alliances in Healthcare Delivery
Addressing the healthcare challenges posed by conflict requires international cooperation and strong partnerships. Petraeus emphasized the importance of alliances like NATO in responding to the humanitarian crises created by war.
"A common threat is a pretty good catalyst for the establishment and maintenance of alliances," he said, pointing to the unity that NATO has shown in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression. This type of collaboration is critical not only for military efforts but also for delivering healthcare and humanitarian aid to conflict zones.
In many conflict areas, international organizations like the United Nations and the World Health Organization play a crucial role in coordinating healthcare efforts. However, Petraeus acknowledged that logistical challenges and ongoing violence often hamper these efforts. In places like Gaza, for example, humanitarian aid trucks are frequently hijacked by criminal groups or militias, making it nearly impossible to deliver medical supplies to those in need.
Advancing healthcare and technology in conflict areas reveals the challenges and opportunities in delivering care during times of crisis. The challenge, however, is to ensure that these innovations are effectively integrated into broader healthcare strategies so that they can benefit not only those on the battlefield but also civilian populations in need.