What does it mean to have a global health partnership? Is it always a collaboration between a high-income country (HIC) and a low- or middle-income country (LMIC)? Does it simply involve the transfer of resources or aid to an LMIC? And how do we measure the balance or imbalance of power within these partnerships? These are the questions we should be asking.

When we talk about research or evaluation in global health, numbers tend to take priority. We often ask: How many people were reached? How much did infection rates drop? What percentage of patients completed treatment? These questions are very vital, but they only tell part of the story. Behind every statistic lies a person, a lived experience, and a context that numbers alone cannot capture. This is where qualitative data becomes not just valuable, but essential.