As USAID programmes funding vital treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, and other critical needs were imploding across Africa last year, a for-profit social enterprise startup geared up for its first real test. Using medicines procurement as its lever, the Swiss-based startup Axmed called for a radical reboot of national systems — to […] Continue reading ->
The United States has moved at speed to secure several new bilateral health Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) in the past week, including, for the first time, four in Latin America – with the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama. To date (2 March), the US has signed 24 bilateral health MOUs in terms of […] Continue reading ->
The government of Zambia acknowledged this week that it is unhappy with part of a proposed health aid deal with the United States that “does not align with the country’s interests”. The Zambia-US bilateral deal was due to be signed last December, but it faltered after the US linked the billion-dollar deal to access to […] Continue reading ->
Kenyans’ access to a range of health products – including HIV treatment, maternal medicine, and contraceptives – plunged in three counties last year, largely as a result of the closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In contrast, Zambia showed “modest improvements” in certain areas, particularly maternal health – largely thanks to a […] Continue reading ->
Famine indicators are worsening in the most vulnerable areas of Sudan, where “a situation that is already awful continues to deteriorate”, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus told a media briefing on Wednesday. Last week, acute malnutrition surpassing famine thresholds was identified in two areas of North Darfur, by the Integrated Food […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has slowed the pace on the development of a Global Plan of Action to advance the health of indigenous peoples globally, with the Executive Board voting on Thursday to delay the plan’s final consideration until May 2027. The draft strategy aims to address the stark health inequities faced by many […] Continue reading ->
The publication of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first “Global Status Report on Rehabilitation” has been effectively paused after the Executive Board concluded that the proposed methodology for measuring progress failed to capture the complex realities of health systems, particularly those in conflict zones. In a politically charged debate on Thursday, member states argued that […] Continue reading ->
A stark debate over who owns the data in the future of AI and digital health emerged at the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board on Wednesday. Low and middle-income countries warned that the rapid deployment of new technologies risks accelerating data extraction and increasing inequality, cautioning that – without strict AI governance, sustainable financing […] Continue reading ->
Polio remains a public health emergency of international concern despite a continued decline in case numbers, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General report presented to the Executive Board. The report warns that progress toward eradication remains fragile. Some 38 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 had been reported globally by 22 October 2025, […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) is set for a massive shift in global health priorities with a new emergency care strategy, moving away from isolated hospital “silos” toward a seamless continuum of care. On Tuesday, the Executive Board unanimously adopted a 10-year strategy (2026 to 2035) for Integrated Emergency, Critical, and Operative Care (ECO), positioning […] Continue reading ->