Millions of girls miss school each month when they menstruate, as their families cannot afford sanitary pads or tampons – something that a Geneva-based diplomatic effort is seeking to address. Ambassador Matthew Wilson of Barbados described improving access to menstrual as a “global moral imperative” at a meeting of diplomats this week.  “[Caribbean] surveys show […] Continue reading ->
In August 2025, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali removed all taxes and customs duties on feminine hygiene products. Now, Guyana’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva calls on other countries to follow suit.    In most developing countries male condoms are distributed freely. Free access to condoms is a globally recognized harm reduction strategy in public health.  […] Continue reading ->
Noma Bolani has a clear memory of her abusive father stopping the car in the middle of the highway in Durban, South Africa and asking her mother to get out.  She was just six years old, but Bolani followed her mother out of the car, and together they sought help from a passing motorist.  Bolani […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – More and more health workers are performing female genital mutilation (FGM) in South and South East Asia – although the process is internationally recognised as a serious human rights violation with no medical justification.  Health professional associations mulled over how to ensure that health workers stop performing this harmful practice at the […] Continue reading ->
Women who lose 300ml of blood after giving birth should be diagnosed with postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) according to new guidelines published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). In the past, PPH has only been diagnosed if a woman loses 500ml […] Continue reading ->
The global childhood vaccination rate in 2024 held steady with 85% of infants and children receiving three doses of the vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT), used as a global benchmark for immunization rates overall.  However large, continued gaps in coverage are propelling outbreaks, including the highest rate of measles cases since 2019.  “In […] Continue reading ->
World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced his new team of 36 directors at headquarters on Tuesday, according to an internal message to WHO staff, seen by Health Policy Watch. Nine of the appointments, including key positions heading the Departments of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, and the newly-combined Department of Environment, […] Continue reading ->