Latest news with #pandemicPreparedness
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
New Project to Boost Tunisia's Health System and Pandemic Response
The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved US$125.16 million in financing — including a US$17.16 million grant from the Pandemic Fund — to support Tunisia's efforts in enhancing access to resilient, quality, and responsive health services through the Tunisia Health System Strengthening Project. This nationwide initiative aims to improve pandemic preparedness and emergency care, modernize primary healthcare services, and strengthen governance and digitalization across the public health system. The project supports Tunisia's National Health Policy (PNS), a government-led reform strategy centered on improving equitable access to care and prioritizing preventive and protective health services. 'By strengthening the resilience and responsiveness of Tunisia's health system, this project will help ensure that all Tunisians, particularly the most vulnerable, can access timely, quality care,' said Alexandre Arrobbio, World Bank Country Manager for Tunisia. 'It builds on a solid partnership that delivered impactful results during the COVID-19 crisis — from protective equipment and vaccine rollout to medical oxygen, digital platforms, and upgraded hospitals and labs. Today, we are scaling up these efforts to support nationwide health service delivery and readiness for future pandemics, in close collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization.' The Tunisia Health System Strengthening Project aims to reach the entire population by improving access to critical care, emergency services, and hospital-based interventions. It will also directly benefit frontline health workers through enhanced training in disease surveillance, field epidemiology, emergency care, and digital systems such as electronic medical records. Aligned with Tunisia's broader development goals, the project aims to help the country strengthen public health preparedness and ensure continuity and quality of essential services. Through three interlinked components, the project will fortify the health system by developing One Health surveillance systems and bolstering laboratory and public health infrastructure, ensuring robust monitoring and response capabilities. Secondly, it will reorganize community-level health services by promoting family medicine, strengthening facility capacity aligned with needs, and expanding telemedicine and patient electronic health records, thereby improving accessibility and continuity of care. Lastly, the project will advance urgent care and hospital infrastructure by upgrading ambulance fleets, implementing geographically-mapped dispatch systems, and enhancing hospital-based triage and bed management technologies, ensuring efficient and integrated service delivery. 'Tunisia is stepping up efforts to improve health service delivery, aiming to ensure better access and greater equity in care,' said Yassine Kalboussi, Health Specialist at the World Bank and Task Team Leader for the project. 'This project will support the technological and structural transformation of the health system, enhance workforce capacity, and improve service quality, especially in underserved areas.' Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The World Bank Group.
CBC
20-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Global pandemic accord adopted by WHO amid U.S. absence
Members of the World Health Organization adopted an agreement on Tuesday intended to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19, but the absence of the U.S. cast doubt on the treaty's effectiveness. After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. WHO member countries welcomed its passing with applause. The pact was touted as a victory for members of the global health agency at a time when multilateral organizations like the WHO have been battered by sharp cuts in U.S. foreign funding. "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," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The pact aims to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufacturers to allocate a target of 20 per cent of their vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access. However, U.S. negotiators left discussions about the accord after President Donald Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the U.S. — by far the WHO's largest financial backer — from the agency when he took office in January. Given this, the U.S., which poured billions of dollars into vaccine development during the COVID pandemic, would not be bound by the pact. And WHO member states would not face penalties if they failed to implement it. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed the World Health Organization in a video address to the assembly, saying it had failed to learn from the lessons of the pandemic with the new agreement. "It has doubled down with the pandemic agreement, which will lock in all of the dysfunction of the WHO pandemic response.... We're not going to participate in that," he said. Accord draws mixed reviews The deal was reached after Slovakia called for a vote on Monday, as its COVID-19 vaccine-skeptic prime minister demanded that his country challenge the adoption of the agreement. One hundred and twenty-four countries voted in favour, no countries voted against, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran, abstained. Some health experts welcomed the treaty as a step toward greater fairness in global health after poorer nations were left short of vaccines and diagnostics during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It contains critical provisions, especially in research and development, that — if implemented — could shift the global pandemic response toward greater equity," Michelle Childs, policy advocacy director at Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, told Reuters. Others said the agreement did not meet initial ambitions and that, without strong implementation frameworks, it risked falling short in a future pandemic. "It is an empty shell.… It's difficult to say that it's a treaty with firm obligation where there is a strong commitment.... It's a good starting point. But it will have to be developed," said Gian Luca Burci, an academic adviser at the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, an independent research and education organization. Helen Clark, co-chair of The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, described the accord as a foundation to build from. "Many gaps remain in finance, equitable access to medical countermeasures and in understanding evolving risks," she added. The pact will not go into effect until an annex on sharing of pathogenic information is finalized. Negotiations on this would start in July with the aim of delivering the annex to the World Health Assembly for adoption, WHO said. A Western diplomatic source suggested it may take up to two years to be finalized.
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Landmark global pandemic agreement adopted by World Health Organisation members
Members of the World Health Organisation (WHO) adopted a landmark agreement on Tuesday on how to prepare for future pandemics following the Covid-19 outbreak, which killed millions of people 2020 and 2022. After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. WHO member countries welcomed its passing with applause. – Reuters
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
World Health Organisation adopts global pandemic agreement
Members of the World Health Organization voted emphatically in favour of a potentially groundbreaking global treaty on improving pandemic preparedness at the World Health Assembly on Monday. One hundred twenty-four countries voted in favour, after Slovakia called for a vote on Monday, as its Covid-19 vaccine sceptic prime minister demanded that his country challenge the adoption of the agreement. No countries voted against, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran abstained. "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," said Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The draft accord, which addresses structural inequities about how drugs or vaccines and health tools are developed, following lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic which killed millions of people in 2020-2022, was formally adopted on Tuesday in a plenary session at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. However, it will not formally come into effect until an annex on pathogen sharing is negotiated, which could take up to two years, after which states will have to ratify the accord. Following three years of difficult negotiations, the agreement has been seen by many diplomats and analysts as a victory for global cooperation at a time when multilateral organisations like the WHO have been battered by sharp cuts in US foreign funding. US negotiators left the discussions after President Donald Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the US - by far the WHO's largest financial backer - from the agency when he took office in January. Given this, the US would not be bound by the pact.
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
World Health Organization members vote in favour of global pandemic agreement
GENEVA, May 19 (Reuters) - Members of the World Health Organization voted emphatically in favour of a potentially groundbreaking global treaty on improving pandemic preparedness at the World Health Assembly on Monday. 124 countries voted in favour, after Slovakia called for a vote on Monday, as its COVID-19 vaccine sceptic prime minister demanded that his country challenge the adoption of the agreement. No countries voted against, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran abstained. The draft accord, which addresses structural inequities about how drugs or vaccines and health tools are developed, will be formally adopted on Tuesday in a plenary session at the World Health Assembly in Geneva. However, it will not formally come into effect until an annex on pathogen sharing is negotiated, which could take up to two years, after which states will have to ratify the accord.
