TY - JOUR T1 - Going beyond access to health information: a pandemic call to action JF - BMJ Global Health JO - BMJ Global Health DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006472 VL - 6 IS - 6 SP - e006472 AU - Soumyadeep Bhaumik AU - Pranab Chatterjee Y1 - 2021/06/01 UR - http://gh.bmj.com/content/6/6/e006472.abstract N2 - About a decade earlier we brought to attention that the lack of access to health information is ‘a social injustice that the global health community cannot afford to ignore’1 and argued that governments are morally and legally obliged to ensure access to health information. Since then, a lot of progress has been made in the domain including the recent high-profile statement by the World Medical Association that health information ‘is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), and among vulnerable groups in all countries’.2 Others have also argued that access to health information is a key component of universal health coverage.3 In the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen significant investments from multinational agencies, governments, non-profits and private actors to disseminate health information. However, a narrow focus on providing access to health information alone, without any investment or thought on how information can be translated by people to meaningful health outcomes, is proving to be counterproductive.The need for masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, stay-at-home efforts, ventilation and vaccinations have been key areas of interest in generating information products.4 Billions of dollars and countless volunteer hours are being invested in developing health information materials … ER -