Context:
United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on his very first day in office.
The Decision to Withdraw
- Upon allegations of bias and mishandling particularly with the COVID19 pandemic
- President Donald Trump decided to have the US withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO).
- This move while not entirely unexpected because of the criticism by Trump against WHO before is worrying to the health community in many ways.
US Withdrawal Implications
- Financial Impact
- The US is one of the founding members and is the largest financier to WHO accounting for approximately 18 of its total funding. These funds are a significant source that if withdrawn would severely undermine critical global health programs including those focused on HIV AIDS, tuberculosis and the eradication of other infectious diseases.
- Global Health Collaboration
- Global health operates in a system where interconnectivity dictates that national borders cannot protect against such global threats like pandemics. The COVID 19 crisis illustrated that no nation is safe till every nation is secure and thereby international cooperation is the imperative.
- The WHOs role in facilitating global cooperation, sharing critical data and ensuring equitable access to vaccines and treatments is indispensable in combating health crises.
The Case for US Reengagement with WHO
- A Unified Approach to Health
- The political motivation for withdrawal ignores the larger context global health is not a zero sum game and turning inward does not protect a country from global health risks.
- Open cooperation and data sharing are indispensable in managing pandemics which cannot be confined within borders. The lessons learned from COVID19 emphasize that health crises are global in nature and require a collective response.
Hope for Reconsideration
Even after the US decision WHO has already attempted to contact hoping that the US will have second thoughts and again join the rest of the health world. Some hope within the health circles are that as scientists have created medicines that work wonders diplomacy can lead to a point where the US will once more engage with WHO.
Conclusion
- Global Health Cooperation Restored
- The United States should understand that the health security of this country is intertwined with the health of the world. Withdrawing from the WHO jeopardizes global health initiatives which undermines efforts made by the country to solve global health challenges.
- In a world, increasingly defined by interconnectedness the US should focus on global health collaboration, reengage with the WHO and work toward a unified approach to combating pandemics and improving health outcomes around the world.
