The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first update in 13 years to guidelines aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancies, identifying child marriage as a primary driver behind millions of early pregnancies that endanger girls’ lives and futures. The document published Thursday by the UN health agency pinpoints uptake and access to safe contraception, barriers […] Continue reading ->
After the World Malaria Report 2024 was published, the global community confronted an undeniable and uncomfortable truth: while malaria affects entire communities, its burden is not equally distributed. Women, particularly in malaria-endemic regions, are disproportionately impacted. Their physical, social and economic health suffers more than others’ as they bear the brunt of caregiving responsibilities, suffer […] Continue reading ->
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The healthcare sector in India produced 32 billionaires in 2022 – more than any other sector in an extraordinary demonstration of corporatisation, according to Abhay Shukla, co-convenor of Jan Swasthya Abhinyan, the People’s Health Movement in India. Massive investment in healthcare by private companies since the 1990s, particularly in “corporate, profit-driven […] Continue reading ->
The US Health and Human Services has reversed course on an earlier decision to slash funding to the widely acclaimed Women’s Health Initiative, supported by the National Institutes of Health. An HHS spokesman Thursday said that the Trump Administration would restore the support to the widely-acclaimed initiative, which has been responsible for a range of […] Continue reading ->
A new, and near final iteration of WHO’s reorganization will shrink its programme divisions even further than previous drafts – from 10 to only four – with health systems emerging as one key pillar of the revamped organization.  At the same time, disease control departments and preventive health teams – such as health promotion and […] Continue reading ->
The US-based Boston Consulting Group has been working with WHO’s senior leadership, under contract, to develop the major reorganization and cost-saving plan, now pending final presentation to staff and member states next week, Health Policy Watch has learned.  Members  of the Staff Association Committee confirmed to WHO staff members on Thursday, that BCG has been […] Continue reading ->
New weekly cases of mpox across Africa have dropped to around 2,000 for the first time this year giving hope that the outbreak may be waning, according to Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). In the mpox epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), new cases […] Continue reading ->
Nearly half of national nursing associations (48.4%) report a significant increase in nurses’ migration or exodus from the profession altogether since 2021 – against stagnant salaries, poor health system performance, and growing violence directed at nurses along with a continually increasing workload. These are among the key findings in a new report by the International […] Continue reading ->
At around 3am Wednesday, after three years of often intense negotiations, World Health Organization (WHO) member states agreed on a draft Pandemic Agreement, which sets out basic terms of engagement to prepare for, prevent and respond to pandemics. Bleary-eyed negotiators and co-chairs Precious Matsoso and Anne-Claire Amprou welcomed the final greening of the entire text […] Continue reading ->