WHO needs ‘paradigm shift' in future funding, says director general

The head of the World Health Organi zation has warned member countries that the UN’s global health body is being “set up to fail” and needs a “paradigm shift” in the way that it is funded and supported.

- Peter Beaumont

In stark language delivered to the WHO’s executive board yesterday, its director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , said that the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 5. 6 million lives, had underlined the need to strengthen health systems as well as pandemic preparedness plans.

Tedros also cautioned that conditions remained ideal for more Covid variants to emerge. “There are different scenarios for how the pandemic could play out and how the acute phase could end,” he said.

“But it’s dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant or that we are in the endgame,” he added. “On the contrary, globally, the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge.”

He insisted, however, that “we can end C ovid-19 as a global health emergency, and we can do it this year ”, by reaching goals such as the WHO’s target of vaccinat ing 70 % of the population of each country by the middle of this year , with a focus on people who are at the highest risk .