Category: Development

So far, there have been 215 confirmed cases, including eight deaths, since an outbreak was declared in Blue Nile state on 8 September. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN children’s fund, UNICEF, will support an oral cholera vaccination campaign aimed at covering 1.6 million people there and in neighbouring Sinnar state. The first round is expected to start… Read More

“It’s not over, until it’s over” said Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus, speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, after a meeting co-hosted by WHO and the DRC Government, on the margins of the UN General Assembly, bringing together regional ministers for health, on Ebola preparedness and response. Huge thanks to my brother @SecAzar & the government of the ??… Read More

In the wake of Monday’s universal health commitments, WHO chief Tedros Adhammom Ghebryesus said the document would serve as “a new milestone in our journey towards a healthier, safer and fairer world”, dovetailing with the launch of the agency’s own pledge to boost healthier living.  “World leaders have unified around a shared vision of the world we want”, he said. “ Today, the international health community is doing the same”, introducing the WHO Global Action Plan for health.  Speaking to health… Read More

During a meeting of heads of State, ministers, health leaders, policy-makers, and universal health coverage champions, the UN chief called UHC “the most comprehensive agreement ever reached on global health – a vision for Universal Health Coverage by 2030”. World leaders made the public commitment during the meeting at the beginning of the high level week of the UN General… Read More

A pregnant woman receives medical care at a mobile health clinic in Nigeria. © 2018 European Union The study, “Primary Health Care on the Road to Universal Health Coverage”, estimates that around 60 million lives could be saved by upping annual spending on primary health care in low and middle-income countries by some $200 billion per year. Whilst overall coverage has… Read More

Despite progress in childbirth safety, one woman or baby dies every 11 seconds Although childbirth survival rates are a “staggering success” compared with the year 2000, one pregnant woman or her child, still dies every 11 seconds from largely preventable causes, UN health experts have revealed. In a joint appeal for all nations to provide better medical care for all,… Read More

In a joint appeal for all nations to do more to provide better medical care for all, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) outlined several ways to help protect the 2.8 million pregnant women and newborns who die every year. A skilled pair of hands to help mothers and newborns around the time of birth,… Read More

“Speak up for patient safety!” is the slogan for the first World Patient Safety Day, observed this Tuesday, 17 September. The objective is to prevent and reduce risks, errors and harm, such as dispensing the wrong medication due to a mix-up over similar packaging. “No one should be harmed while receiving health care. And yet globally, at least five patients… Read More

Every 40 seconds, someone dies by suicide: WHO Despite progress in national prevention strategies, one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General lamented on Monday, highlighting key findings of the agency’s latest report on global suicide estimates. Speaking in Geneva ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “every death is a tragedy for family, friends… Read More

Speaking in Geneva ahead of World Suicide Prevention day, recognized on 10 September, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “every death is a tragedy for family friends and colleagues,” yet many more suicides can be prevented. All countries should “incorporate proven suicide prevention strategies into national health and education programmes in a sustainable way”, he added. Since WHO’s first report on… Read More