Robert F Kennedy (RFK) Jr, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), faced two days of tense questioning from senators on the finance and health committees. He walked back many of his past statements on vaccines and abortion, and emphasized his commitment to address America’s […] Continue reading ->
The Trump Administration exempted “life-saving humanitarian assistance” from the “stop-work order” issued to all foreign aid recipients late Tuesday – but widespread confusion remained about which programmes could continue to operate unimpeded. Meanwhile, US Senate confirmation hearings for Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), began Wednesday with […] Continue reading ->
DAVOS, Switzerland – While the United States decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization has thrown the world of global health into turmoil, former US Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy remains hopeful that a “more thoughtful” conversation can be held with the new US Administration of President Donald Trump once the political dust has settled. […] Continue reading ->
After an early surge of spending during the COVID pandemic, public health layouts by countries at all income levels declined in 2022, on average, as compared to 2021. Meanwhile, there was a 60% increase overall in per-capita health expenditures between 2000 and 2022 – but in low income countries this was largely driven by a […] Continue reading ->
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebryesus urged a ‘wait and see’ attitude Tuesday in his first public comments on US President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr as Secretary of Health and Human Services – despite a flurry of fresh criticism by 77 Nobel Laureates over the controversial appointment. “It’s a transition […] Continue reading ->
Last week, stakeholders gathered in Bangkok for the first-ever Regional Congress on Self-Care in the Asia-Pacific to discuss the importance of interventions and policies within the region. Throughout the proceedings, it was gratifying to see how increasing awareness and support for self-care is resonating regionally – as well as at national and global levels. WHO […] Continue reading ->
Major pharmaceutical companies have made minimal progress in expanding access to essential medicines since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an industry watchdog report released Tuesday. The 2024 Access to Medicine Index, which evaluates 20 of the world’s leading drugmakers, found that despite modest improvements from certain companies, the overall pace of change in improving availability […] Continue reading ->
BERLIN – Countries worldwide, regardless of income level, can halve premature death rates by 2050, a new Lancet report presented at the closing of the World Health Summit in Berlin suggests. Fifteen key health threats are driving premature deaths worldwide, with tobacco use leading the pack “by far”, the Lancet Commission for Investing in Health […] Continue reading ->
Investing in as little as $0.24 per patient per year in digital health interventions – telemedicine, mobile messaging, and chatbots – could significantly lower the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), says a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (UTI). These interventions could avert 2 million deaths and 7 […] Continue reading ->
The recent CARICOM summit of Caribbean leaders has endorsed a new Afro-Caribbean Health and Development (HeDPAC) initiative aimed at stimulating South-South collaboration on resilient health systems, health worker capacity building, and local medicines and vaccines manufacture. The formal CARICOM Communiqué at the close of the Summit in Grenada invited its 15 member states and five […] Continue reading ->