BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading ->
Vaccinations have saved the lives of an estimated 17 million people between 2021 and 2024 – but global immunisation programmes face several challenges, according to an assessment by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation. Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO director of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals, acknowledged the “deep commitment […] Continue reading ->
CHHATTISGARH, India — Nearly 16,000 staff employed under India’s National Health Mission (NHM) have been on an indefinite strike since 8 August. In early September, the dispute escalated dramatically when the state government dismissed 25 union leaders, prompting the mass resignation of  more than 14,000 health workers. The mass resignations have raised alarm about the stability […] Continue reading ->
Engaging people from a nomadic community in rural Kenya in a clinical trial involved employing community mobilisers on motorbikes and understanding seasonal and cultural practices. Geographic touchpoints such as waterholes and schools were mapped as places to find trial participants as they searched for grazing and water for their cattle and goats. This was a […] Continue reading ->
Staff unrest at the World Health Organization’s Geneva headquarters reached a new milestone this week, as the WHO Staff Association (HQSA) adopted three resolutions challenging the fairness and legitimacy of the Organization’s ongoing restructuring process, which has already led to post abolitions, reassignments, and widespread anxiety. In two meetings, Monday and Friday, attended by some […] Continue reading ->
NEW YORK – Although chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are the third leading cause of death globally, there remains a ‘mismatch’ between impact and action, said a group of global health leaders and experts on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly. “There is a mismatch between the disease [impact] from CRD and the action against […] Continue reading ->
NEW YORK CITY – A painstakingly negotiated Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases with overwhelming support from UN member states failed to win formal endorsement at a special High Level Session of the General Assembly (GA) Thursday – after the United States torpedoed its adoption by consensus. The last minute moves means that the draft declaration […] Continue reading ->