Amidst a flurry of allegations of nepotism and political corruption, Saima Wazed, daughter of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has emerged victorious in the race for the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia (WHO-SEARO) regional director. Wazed’s limited international public health experience and expertise, confined to the narrow field of autism, have raised concerns among experts […] Continue reading ->
At the start of the seventh round of negotiations on a pandemic agreement on Monday, a number of European countries asserted that any changes to intellectual property (IP) rights should be thrashed out at the World Trade Organization (WTO) – not the World Health Organization (WHO). IP rights are one of the most controversial aspects […] Continue reading ->
Wealthy nations are falling tens of billions of dollars short of their pledge to help climate-vulnerable regions adapt to a warming planet, widening an already vast gap in funding and leaving millions at risk, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The report, released on Thursday, found that international financial flows […] Continue reading ->
The world may soon have a new antibiotic to treat gonorrhoea after a successful phase 3 trial of an oral pill, zoliflodacin, that was led and sponsored by a non-profit organisation. The results were announced late Wednesday by the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), which conducted the trial in collaboration with Innoviva Specialty […] Continue reading ->
Bangladesh has become the first country globally to be validated by the World Health Organization for the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis or kala azar, as a public health problem. VL, a life-threatening neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by a parasite transmitted by sandflies, affects some one million people worldwide every year, mostly in Southeast Asia […] Continue reading ->
The global health landscape is marked by paradoxes. The last several decades have been shaped by progress and setbacks – new medicines and emerging diseases, technological advancements and entrenched inequities. The Ebola outbreaks and COVID-19 pandemic exposed many of the already existing inequities in our global health ecosystem, from unequal access to vaccines to restrictive […] Continue reading ->
The world’s preparedness for the next pandemic is “perilously fragile”, with gaps that “leave us dangerously exposed to a future threat”, according to the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) in its 2023 annual report released on Monday. “We lack the solid foundations needed to ensure current efforts for preparedness can be brought together to build […] Continue reading ->
BERLIN, Germany — Last week, the World Health Summit in Berlin brought together experts, civil society, politicians, and international organizations from around the world to brainstorm solutions to the many threats facing healthcare systems today. Climate change, the looming health workforce crisis, and the increasingly distant goal of universal health coverage were all on the […] Continue reading ->
For centuries, colonialism has shaped global healthcare, leaving behind a legacy of disparities and injustices between the Global North and Global South that continues to exert a profound influence on the health and well-being of marginalised and indigenous populations across the globe. Today, colonialism’s legacy is being challenged by a growing movement to decolonise the […] 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 ->