The World Health Organization (WHO) is confronting an unprecedented financial crisis, with a projected shortfall of $2.5 billion for the 2025–2027 period. In his official remarks to the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee (PBAC) on 14 May 2025, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the Organization may be forced to close certain country […] Continue reading ->
Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, of Tanzania, was elected as the new African Region nominee for Regional Director, in a special meeting of the WHO African Regional Committee on Sunday – replacing fellow Tanzanian, RD-elect Dr Faustine Ndugulile, who died suddenly in November, 2024. The WHO Executive Board will be asked to approve Janabi’s nomination at […] Continue reading ->
Although the international nurse workforce has increased by about two million between 2018 and 2023, there is still a huge global shortage concentrated in poorer nations, according to the State of the World’s Nursing 2025 report published on Monday. There was a global shortage of around 5.8 million nurses in 2023, an improvement on 2018 […] Continue reading ->
With declining global spending on health, as the world prepares to observe International Nurses Day, Monday 12 May, there is renewed urgency to build health systems that respond to the needs of nurses and the people they serve. Investing in nurses yields high returns. It improves maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and outbreak response […] Continue reading ->
On its 25th anniversary, the Gates Foundation has announced that it is winding down – but in 20 years’ time, during which it expects to spend $200 billion. “During the first 25 years of the Gates Foundation – powered in part by the generosity of Warren Buffett – we gave away more than $100 billion. […] Continue reading ->
There is a 33-year gap in life expectancy between people born in the country with the highest life expectancy and those born in the country with the lowest life expectancy, while 94% of maternal deaths happen in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to a World Health Organization global report on the social determinants of […] Continue reading ->
Merging WHO and UNAIDs, and combining the “operational” component of WHO’s Emergencies response with that of other agencies are just two among the several dozen ideas pitched by the UN80 Initiative Task Force – in the full text of options for interagency budget cuts and efficiencies, obtained by Health Policy Watch. The list of over […] Continue reading ->
In the first episode of “Trailblazers with Gary,” Global Health Matters podcast host Dr Garry Aslanyan sat down in South Africa with Professor Tulio de Oliveira — one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in global health. Oliveira leads the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation at Stellenbosch University and was part of the […] Continue reading ->
Self-care can be a key strategy in tackling the global crisis of non-communicable diseases that are responsible for three-quarters of premature deaths globally and 86 percent of early deaths (before age 70) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Moreover, dentists, pharmacists and community health workers are trained professionals who can provide innovative forms of self-care […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first update in 13 years to guidelines aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancies, identifying child marriage as a primary driver behind millions of early pregnancies that endanger girls’ lives and futures. The document published Thursday by the UN health agency pinpoints uptake and access to safe contraception, barriers […] Continue reading ->