Calls for more resources to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs), higher taxes on unhealthy products and the decriminalisation of suicide were made at a multi-stakeholder hearing at the United Nations (UN) on Friday. The hearing was convened by UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang to enable stakeholders to identify priorities to address NCDs ahead of the […] Continue reading ->
Urgent measures are needed to curtail the rising “medicalization” of female genital mutilation (FGM) and to engage health workers to prevent the practice, according to a new guideline published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The guideline recommends professional codes of conduct that expressly prohibit health workers from performing FGM and stresses the need to […] Continue reading ->
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The healthcare sector in India produced 32 billionaires in 2022 – more than any other sector in an extraordinary demonstration of corporatisation, according to Abhay Shukla, co-convenor of Jan Swasthya Abhinyan, the People’s Health Movement in India. Massive investment in healthcare by private companies since the 1990s, particularly in “corporate, profit-driven […] Continue reading ->
New weekly cases of mpox across Africa have dropped to around 2,000 for the first time this year giving hope that the outbreak may be waning, according to Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). In the mpox epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), new cases […] Continue reading ->
At around 3am Wednesday, after three years of often intense negotiations, World Health Organization (WHO) member states agreed on a draft Pandemic Agreement, which sets out basic terms of engagement to prepare for, prevent and respond to pandemics. Bleary-eyed negotiators and co-chairs Precious Matsoso and Anne-Claire Amprou welcomed the final greening of the entire text […] Continue reading ->
Amid bleak global economic and development aid trends, Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is piloting innovative financing solutions and doubling down on efforts to get member states to invest more domestic funds in health. A week ago, Africa CDC launched a new financing guide for member states and on Friday the […] Continue reading ->
Health services worldwide have been “severely disrupted” by the United States slashing aid, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) is radically reducing its operations following the US withdrawal from the global body – but there has been no formal engagement between the WHO and the White House. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus revealed this […] Continue reading ->