Latest news with #Ghebreyesus
Saba Yemen
17 hours ago
- General
- Saba Yemen
WHO condemns destruction of Kidney Dialysis Center in Northern Gaza by Israeli Forces
Geneva – SABA: The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Tuesday condemned the Israeli military's destruction of the Noura Al-Kaabi Dialysis Center in northern Gaza. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ghebreyesus stated: 'The Noura dialysis center in northern Gaza is now a pile of rubble.' He emphasized that the destruction of this health facility poses a direct threat to the lives of patients suffering from kidney failure. The center had previously provided dialysis services to 40 patients per week before it was leveled. He noted that the WHO had managed to relocate 20 out of the 23 dialysis machines from the center to a safe location prior to the attack. Ghebreyesus renewed his call for a ceasefire and urged immediate protection for all health facilities and medical personnel. In his post, he also shared a before-and-after image comparison—one showing the center as it stood last year, and another depicting it reduced to rubble. Medical sources warned that the destruction of the center puts the health of kidney failure patients in northern Gaza in extreme jeopardy. They reported that 41% of such patients have died amid the ongoing genocide, due to denial of access to dialysis centers and the destruction of facilities dedicated to their care. Facebook Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Hans India
20-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
WHO adopts historic Pandemic Agreement to bridge global healthcare gaps, inequities
Geneva: In a historic move, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday formally adopted the world's first Pandemic Agreement, after three years of negotiations. The Agreement, adopted by consensus by member countries of the WHO at the ongoing 78th World Health Assembly, aims to bridge global healthcare gaps and inequities in case of future pandemics. Amid the Covid-19 outbreak, which killed millions of people worldwide, the WHO Member States in December 202`1 established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement, or other international instrument, under the WHO Constitution, to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. After 13 formal rounds of meetings, nine of which were extended, and many informal and intersessional negotiations on various aspects of the draft agreement, the proposal was finalised in April this year. The Pandemic Agreement aims to prepare governments for future pandemics following the Covid-19 outbreak, which killed millions of people between the years of 2020 and 2022. 'The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration, and commitment of our Member States to adopt the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement,' said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. 'The Agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats. It is also a recognition by the international community that our citizens, societies, and economies must not be left vulnerable to again suffer losses like those endured during Covid-19,' Ghebreyesus added. The WHO Pandemic Agreement is the second international legal agreement negotiated under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, the first being the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which was adopted in 2003 and entered into force in 2005. The resolution includes launching a process to draft and negotiate a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System (PABS) through an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG). Once the Assembly adopts the PABS annex, the WHO Pandemic Agreement will then be open for signature and consideration of ratification, including by national legislative bodies. After 60 ratifications, the Agreement will enter into force. According to the Agreement, pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the PABS system will play a key role in equitable and timely access to pandemic-related health products by making available to WHO 'rapid access targeting 20 per cent of their real-time production of safe, quality and effective vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for the pathogen causing the pandemic emergency.' The distribution of these products to countries will be carried out based on public health risk and need, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries, the WHO said.
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Business Standard
20-05-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
WHO members back resolution for global pact to prevent future pandemics
Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) voted in favour of a resolution calling for the adoption of a global compact to prevent future pandemics. The pandemic agreement and the resolution calling for its adoption will be discussed by the full plenary of the World Health Assembly on May 20. Immediately after, a High-Level segment featuring statements from Heads of State of various nations will follow, according to WHO press release. The vote in favour of the Pandemic Agreement resolution follows a more than three-year process, launched by governments during the Covid-19 pandemic, to negotiate the world's first such accord to address the gaps and inequities in preventing, preparing for and responding to pandemics. In a press release, WHO stated, "This watershed agreement was adopted under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution. It aims to foster stronger collaboration and cooperation among countries, international organisations like WHO, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to prevent pandemics occurring in the first place, and to better respond in the event of a future pandemic crisis." WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated member states for resolving to come together in the aftermath of Covid-19 to better protect the world from future pandemics. In a press release, Ghebreyesus stated, "Governments from all over the world are making their countries, and our interconnected global community, more equitable, healthier and safer from the threats posed by pathogens and viruses of pandemic potential." "I congratulate WHO's Member States for resolving to come together in the aftermath of Covid-19 to better protect the world from future pandemics. Their work to develop this global accord will ensure countries work better, faster and more equitably together to prevent and respond to the next pandemic threat," he added. The resolution sets out several steps for taking the world forward and preparing for implementing the Pandemic Agreement. It includes launching a process to draft and negotiate an annex to the Agreement to establish a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) through an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG). The result of this process will be considered at next year's World Health Assembly. After the Assembly adopts the PABS annex, the Pandemic Agreement will then be open for signature and consideration of ratification, including by national legislative bodies. After 60 ratifications, the Agreement will enter into force. Furthermore, Member States also instructed the IGWG to initiate steps to allow creation of the Coordinating Financial Mechanism for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and the Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (GSCL) to "enhance, facilitate, and work to remove barriers and ensure equitable, timely, rapid, safe, and affordable access to pandemic-related health products for countries in need during public health emergencies of international concern, including pandemic emergencies, and for prevention of such emergencies." In a press release, the WHO stated, "According to the Agreement, pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the PABS system will play a key role in equitable and timely access to pandemic-related health products by making available to WHO 'rapid access targeting 20 per cent of their real time production of safe, quality and effective vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for the pathogen causing the pandemic emergency.' The distribution of these products to countries will be carried out on the basis of public health risk and need, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries and those supported through the GSCL." The Pandemic Agreement aligns with the International Health Regulations, amendments to which were adopted by governments during the World Health Assembly last year to bolster international rules to better detect, prevent and respond to outbreaks. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) that coordinated and facilitated the process to draft and negotiate the Pandemic Agreement. He praised the work and excellence of the WHO Secretariat team, which supported the Bureau and Member States, led by Dr Michael Ryan and Dr Jaouad Mahjour. He stated, "An immensely talented, experienced and driven WHO team was assembled to support the vision of governments to develop this historic Pandemic Agreement." "This group of individuals, representing so many countries and regions of the world, deserve enormous credit and thanks from the international community for what they have done to help make the world safer for future generations," he added.
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Business Standard
13-05-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
'World's worst hunger crises': WHO warns as 2.1 mn in Gaza face starvation
Gaza is on the verge of famine, as the ongoing blockade continues to affect the flow of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and essential supplies. With the entire population of 2.1 million facing hunger, and nearly half a million already in catastrophic conditions, the crisis has become the world's worst hunger crisis, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In a statement released on Monday, the WHO said, "The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing with the deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid, including food, in the ongoing blockade. The entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death. This is one of the world's worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time." The latest food security analysis was released today by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership, of which WHO is a member. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that Gaza is already in the grip of a hunger crisis and said that people are starving, falling ill, and dying while lifesaving food and medicine remain just minutes away across the border. "We do not need to wait for a declaration of famine in Gaza to know that people are already starving, sick and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border. The analysis released today shows that without immediate access to food and essential supplies, the situation will continue to deteriorate, causing more deaths and descend into famine. We call for an immediate end of the aid blockade, the release of all hostages, and a ceasefire," Ghebreyesus said. Since the aid blockade began on March 2, 57 children have reportedly died from the effects of malnutrition, according to the Ministry of Health. This number is likely an underestimate and is likely to increase. If the situation persists, nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next eleven months, according to the IPC report. The WHO further said that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are also at high risk of malnutrition, with nearly 17,000 expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition over the next eleven months, if the dire situation does not change. "Malnourished mothers struggle to produce enough nutritious milk, putting their babies at risk, while the delivery of counselling services for mothers is heavily compromised. For infants under six months, breastmilk is their best protection against hunger and disease - especially where clean water is scarce, as it is in Gaza," WHO said.
Saba Yemen
12-05-2025
- Health
- Saba Yemen
WHO: Preventing immediate access to food, essential supplies in Gaza pushing us towards famine
Geneva - Saba: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that preventing immediate access to food and essential supplies in the Gaza Strip is causing "more deaths and a slide into famine." In a post on the X platform, Ghebreyesus said: "We don't have to wait for a famine to be declared in Gaza to know that people are already suffering from hunger, disease, and death, while food and medicine are just minutes away from the border." He pointed to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released Monday, which stated that 470,000 Palestinians in Gaza are facing "catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC Phase 5)," and that the entire population is suffering from acute food insecurity. The report also noted that approximately 71,000 children and more than 17,000 mothers are expected to require urgent treatment for acute malnutrition. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification consists of five phases, starting with "No Problem," which represents minimal food insecurity; then "Stress," "Crisis," "Emergency," and finally "Catastrophe or Famine," in which the population completely lacks access to food and other basic needs. Ghebreyesus explained that the report shows that "without immediate access to food and essential supplies, the situation will continue to deteriorate, causing further deaths and a slide into famine," calling for "an immediate end to the aid blockade and a ceasefire." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
