Governments are falling behind in the battle against a “global epidemic” of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), say two new reports by the World Health Organization and the NCD Alliance, launched on the first day of a Global NCD Alliance Forum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Many countries are stalled in implementing basic prevention policies, such as reducing […] Continue reading ->
Progress On Universal Health Coverage Depends On Political Will – And Larger National Health Budgets
The elements are all in place for expanding universal health coverage – what’s missing is more action at the country level, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the WHO Executive Board on Wednesday. “All the political work is actually done now,” Dr. Tedros said. He was reporting on WHO action since the […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization’s Executive Board tackled two big issues today – primary health care, a cornerstone of WHO’s Universal Health Coverage platform, and cancer, the world’s second leading cause of premature deaths. In a comprehensive report released on World Cancer Day, WHO outlined an action plan that could save 7 million lives from cancer […] Continue reading ->
With some 4.2 million deaths worldwide from outdoor air pollution, and many or most cities in low- and middle-income countries failing to meet World Health Organization air quality guidelines, it’s clear that reducing air pollution’s huge death toll needs rapid action by urban centers. But officials and administrators of fast-growing municipalities often lack the right […] Continue reading ->
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair appeared Wednesday at a World Economic Forum (WEF) side event hosted by The Economist Events, and supported by tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI), Health Policy Watch has learned. The Davos stage was not the first prestige event in Switzerland to which PMI has recently attached its name. In […] Continue reading ->
Britain’s Prince Charles picked up the climate gauntlet from Swedish youth activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday, calling on global political and business leaders to confront the “approaching catastrophe”, on day two of the World Economic Forum in Davos. “What good is all of the extra wealth in the world gained from business as usual if […] Continue reading ->
Longer lifespans and expanded use of information technologies are expected to be among the most disruptive forces to health in the next decade. Still, the underlying question of who pays for healthcare, and who gets access to its benefits, highlights how inequality is still at the heart of many health challenges, speakers on a panel […] Continue reading ->
“Creaking health systems” are among the leading risks faced by the global community, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks 2020 Report. People live longer, but health gains have also plateaued in recent decades. Threats from longstanding infections as well as those from emerging diseases pose a double set of challenges. Along with that, […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization’s Director-General called on global and national leaders meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to increase their national healthcare spending by an average of 1% of National Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A 1% GDP increase in spending would inject more than US $200 billion a year into community-based primary […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization will convene an Emergency Committee meeting over the new coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan, China, after more than 300 new cases were confirmed since 17 January, including the first cases to hit other Chinese megacities and provinces. On Tuesday, the virus crossed the Pacific, with the first case in the […] Continue reading ->