NEW DELHI – The theme was “Scaling Access to Ensure Health Equity”, but that hardly reflected the intense concerns raised at the first World Health Summit regional meeting with the storm of Trump administration’s cutbacks and closures of global health programmes since January. Traditional medicine, climate and health, data transparency, and the role of artificial […] 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 ->
BERLIN – The World Health Organization secured $1 billion in pledges at a landmark fundraising event in Berlin on Monday, kickstarting a major campaign by the UN agency to overhaul its funding model and enhance its ability to tackle global health emergencies. The billion-dollar total includes $700 million in new pledges from European nations and […] Continue reading ->
BERLIN — The World Health Organization is kicking off its first European “investment round” Monday at the World Health Summit, seeking to secure backing for its $11.1 billion four-year strategic plan. The Berlin summit, a marquee event on the global health calendar, draws thousands of health leaders, researchers, and advocacy groups. On the agenda: pandemic […] Continue reading ->
In January, Ugandan LGBTQ activist Steven Kabuye was stabbed multiple times by two men travelling on a motorbike and left for dead on the outskirts of Kampala, the country’s capital city. The 25-year-old, who had received several death threats after Uganda’s Parliament passed its Anti-Homosexuality Act last May, criminalising LGBTQ people, said that the attackers […] Continue reading ->
Better access to NCD medicines and treatments isn’t enough to ensure effective prevention and treatment of the conditions, responsible for 74% of premature deaths in the world. More attention needs to be focused on training, retention and effective use of health care workers, said a panel of experts at the World Health Summit. BERLIN – […] Continue reading ->
Despite a forceful message from the US calling for its inclusion, Taiwan appears set to be shut out once more from the World Health Assembly (WHA) as Chinese diplomats continue to block chances of a personal invitation by WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that would allow Taipei to attend as an observer. In […] Continue reading ->
When Rosie James, a British medical doctor, publicly accused a senior WHO staff member of groping her at a WHO event in Berlin last October, the WHO Director General responded swiftly, saying he was “sorry and horrified” and urged her to report the incident promptly to WHO’s Internal Oversight Services (IOS), which manages such complaints. […] Continue reading ->
WHO’s Executive Board is set to meet again next week in a special closed session to consider the fate of the Regional Director of WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO), who has been accused of racism and harassment of staff at the Manila-based office. In a meeting earlier this week, WHO member states from the […] Continue reading ->
BERLIN – Nearly 20 years ago, Ricardo Baptista Leite began his work as a young medical doctor in an infectious disease ward in Portugal – an experience that changed his life. “I met patients who couldn’t make it to the hospital because they couldn’t afford public transportation,” he said. “I diagnosed patients infected with multi […] Continue reading ->