Health Security: A Concept in Search of a Purpose

Although the term “health security” is continuously gaining prominence and there are increasing calls to “strengthen” it, the term remains conceptually ambiguous. This ambiguity creates uncertainty about exactly what is being advanced in policy and practice when health security is invoked, and what consequences this has for priority‐setting in health systems. Extending existing scholarship on health security, this article draws on insights from the authors' long‐term engagement across various countries, their participation in global discussions and forums, and their study on health securitisation in Nigeria and the Philippines, to explore how health actors understand “health security” and critically analyse the implications of this conceptual pluralism. Our analysis reveals four main interpretations of health security: as (1) state protection and national security , (2) preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks , (3) a political or geopolitical framework , and (4) public health and population protection . These interpretations are not mutually exclusive; rather, they represent meanings that coexist and sometimes compete in practice. We argue that this conceptual plurality enables “health security” to function as a flexible framing that accommodates diverse objectives, with uneven consequences across actors, populations, and health systems. Rather than resolving the definition of health security, this commentary interrogates its utility as a guiding concept.