‘WHO must act faster in global crises’
GENEVA: German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the World Health Organisation (WHO) must streamline its management to respond quickly to crises like West Africa’s Ebola catastrophe that has killed more than 11 000 people.
The WHO and its director-general, Margaret Chan, have come under fire for their slow response to the epidemic, which began in Guinea in December 2013 but was declared a global health emergency only last August.
“We ought to have reacted far earlier,” she told the opening session of the annual meeting of WHO’s 194 member states yesterday.
“I am convinced that if we act faster and have a clear command structure in place, we will be better equipped to combat a crisis like Ebola next time that happens.
“The WHO is the only international organisation that has universal political legitimacy on global health issues. This is why it is so important to render its structures more efficient.”
Merkel said Germany would contribute € 200 million (R2.7 billion) to help developing countries boost their defences against infectious diseases, including € 70m for West Africa.
Guinea has seen a spate of new Ebola cases due to transmissions at funerals – a worrying sign as it seeks to stamp out the epidemic, a health official said on Friday.
Liberia became the first of the three hardest-hit countries to be declared free of the virus this month, completing a 42-day period without a case.
Germany, which has the G7 rotating presidency, also seeks to help countries build health systems to confront neglected tropical diseases that affect 1.4 billion people worldwide, Merkel said.
Another priority was ensuring the effectiveness of antibiotic drugs for treating humans and animals, and combating the buildup of anti-microbial resistance because of overuse.
Today the talks are due to take up an interim report on WHO’s handling of the outbreak. – Reuters