In the UK, the prime minister has announced the disbanding of NHS England, Nigel Crisp - former chief executive of the NHS, explains why he thinks that it’s important the health service is closer to the political decision makers, and why this could be the time to really acknowledge the healthcare emergency.

On the international stage, the Trump administration's withdrawal from the WHO is throwing global health into disarray - Illona Kickbusch, founder of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, joins us to explain which new alliances are emerging, why the funding that has disappeared may never be replaced, and how tech will surpass pharma when it comes to industry influence.

Finally, there is a triple burden of malnutrition for adolescent girls in south Asia - which creates a cycle of ill health that is hard to break. However, Zulfiqar Bhutta, chair in global child health at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, thinks the region can come together to change both government and society to champion young women’s health.

Reading list:

Abolishing NHS England: risks and opportunities

https://www.bmj.com/nhs-commission

https://www.bmj.com/collections/nourishing-south-asia

TZ Advent Calendar - Day Seventeen - Addendum