A world at a turning point: WHO debates the future of the global health system

Opening the organization’s annual assembly in Geneva, Tedros also cited the rare hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius as part of a wider array of global health threats.

– From conflicts to economic crises, climate change and cuts in aid, we are living in difficult, dangerous and divided times – said Tedros, adding that he will talk about the risks in more detail in his keynote address.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pointed out that “protecting others is the best way to protect ourselves”, receiving a standing ovation from the assembly participants.

He warned of what he called a “pandemic of selfishness,” stressing that no country can respond to global threats alone.

This year’s World Health Assembly comes as the World Health Organization faces financial pressures, including the announced departure of the United States and Argentina, as well as budget cuts.

Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said the WHO’s budget had been cut by about 21 percent, leading to hundreds of job cuts and program cuts.

Assembly participants also discuss sensitive issues such as the status of Taiwan, the situation in Ukraine and Iran, as well as the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.

There is still no agreement on a key part of the pandemic agreement, which relates to the exchange of data on pathogens and the distribution of vaccines and medicines.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear how the status of the withdrawal of the United States of America from the organization will be defined, after President Donald Trump announced the exit, but without formally ending the procedure.

The Director General of the WHO warned that the global health system is in a phase of profound changes, while some leaders say that a new architecture of international cooperation in health is necessary.

(Vijesti.ba)