What does "mutually exclusive" mean?

Question

the relationship between high level research into new and emerging medical treatments and technologies and depriving the poor of necessary health care is not a mutually exclusive one.

Answer 1

"Mutually exclusive" means that if one of the things they are talking about is true, the others cannot be true.  This would be like a multiple choice test in which there is only one right answer.  If they say that the medical treatments and deprivation of the poor are NOT mutually exclusive, they mean that both can take happen at once.  You can have the research without depriving the poor of necessary health care.

Answer 2

If two things are "mutually exclusive", they cannot both occur at the same time.

In your very poorly phrased sentence (too many "and's", not enough commas), it is saying that:

1 High level research into new & emerging medical treatments & technologies, and

2 Depriving the poor of necessary health care

are independent events that do not depend on each other.  These two things can happen, or not happen, regardless of one another.

Answer 3

not a mutually exclusive      means that it does not just include two parties, but involves several groups or persons who have interest in the topic.

Example: The family camping trip is not a mutually inclusive decision of just the children.

Answer 4

they can co exist with one another

Answer 5

it means it's not the only one; there are other factors as well.