One disparate mission: Health care access according to The BRICS

The unification of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as a political economic grouping, known as The BRICS, has been assumed to offer an alternative “south-south” development for low-income countries. Among areas of joint concern, health care access has become a focal mission since the first meeting of BRICS health ministers in 2011 and documented in their joint mission statement of health diplomacy; The Beijing Declaration. However, do The BRICS domestically practice or even frame health care access in the same manner? This systematic review compares how each of The BRICS has attempted to achieve health care access, both domestically and in their foreign aid directed to the health sector. Marked differences are identified in how each country prioritizes and attempts to achieve health care access, particularly in overcoming growing gaps of per capita income inequalities. This research problematizes the ability of The BRICS to achieve consensus on how to prioritize or foster health care access in their joint health diplomacy and health advocacy.