The World Health Organization Executive Board last week heard about what the lack of access to medicines and other health services has meant in real life. These ranged from the heart-wrenching story of a baby girl needing and getting pain-killing medication to ease her life and passing to bring attention to the need for palliative care, to millions of children not getting the treatment they need to treat tuberculosis or heart diseases. Continue reading ->
In a rare occasion, the World Health Organization Executive Board today resorted to recorded voting to decide on a politically-charged question, as Israel requested the deletion of an agenda item for the next World Health Assembly relating to the health of Palestinians in occupied territories. The Board ultimately voted against removing the agenda item for the next WHA in May. Continue reading ->
Preventable environmental risks lead to a yearly death toll of 13 million people, 7 million of which are caused by air pollution, according to a World Health Organization report presented yesterday to its members attending the organisation’s Executive Board. Time is of the essence and the WHO draft global strategy on health, environment, and climate change received broad support, as well as a draft action plan for small island developing states, particularly vulnerable to climate change. Continue reading ->