Chikwe Ihekweazu, the first director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and currently head of the Health Emergencies Programme for the World Health Organization, believes that greater African leadership in global health organizations would benefit everyone. “These roles require not only technical competence, but also empathy and compassion, which I believe can only develop […] Continue reading ->
In a rare moment for the World Health Assembly, delegates expanded their debates beyond the usual lexicon of disease pathogens to address something far more intimate: loneliness.  The Assembly approved a first-ever resolution on Fostering social connection for global health:  the essential role of social connection in combating loneliness, social isolation and inequities in health, […] Continue reading ->
Addressing today’s global health challenges requires more than funding and innovation—it demands humility, open communication, and a shared commitment to collective action, according to IFPMA Director-General David Reddy. Reddy, speaking at an IFPMA side event during the 78th World Health Assembly, acknowledged the socio-political and financial barriers facing global health systems. However, he urged the […] Continue reading ->
African countries at the World Health Assembly called for increased support to health systems across the continent following major cuts to all World Health Organization (WHO) regional office budgets amid a financial crisis triggered by the US withdrawal from the agency and falling global health spending. The African region suffered the largest total cut, losing […] Continue reading ->
In a surprise appearance Tuesday before WHO member states via pre-recorded video, new US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr extended a kind of olive branch to the World Health Organization, calling for “a new era of international health cooperation, free from political influence and corporate bias.” While Kennedy did not say […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) faces “significant challenges” amid “significant achievements”, characterised by a 21% budget cut alongside the imminent adoption of a pandemic agreement, Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the opening of the World Health Assembly on Monday. Tedros appealed to member states to support its “extremely modest” budget, reduced from $5.3 billion […] Continue reading ->