The world is facing a health financing emergency as global health investment risks falling to its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou, WHO Director for Health Financing and Economics, said deep spending cuts by wealthy nations are disrupting both international aid and national health systems.
Speaking at a Geneva press briefing, she highlighted recent decisions by the U.S., European governments, and EU bodies to freeze or reduce health aid.
WHO forecasts show global health investment could drop by 40% this year, falling from over $25 billion in 2023 to an estimated $15 billion.
“This funding shortage is creating a health finance emergency in many developing countries—particularly in sub-Saharan Africa,” Dr. Chalkidou said. Many nations rely heavily on aid, with U.S.-financed programs previously accounting for up to 30% of health spending in countries like Malawi and 25% in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
A WHO survey found disruptions to health services in some countries are now at levels “not seen since the peak of COVID-19.” The situation is worsened by soaring debt burdens, with some countries spending twice as much on debt servicing as on health.
WHO is urging countries to cut aid dependency, improve tax revenues - including health taxes on tobacco and alcohol - and work with multilateral banks for low-interest loans to fund health investments.
The issue will be addressed at the upcoming International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, where WHO hopes leaders will make new funding commitments.
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Israeli forces carried out more than 120 airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon on Tuesday (26 May), killing at least 31 people in one of the heaviest bombardments in recent weeks, according to Lebanese security and health officials.
Hamas has confirmed the death of its armed wing chief, Mohammad Odeh, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City, according to the Israeli military and Gaza health officials.
Spanish police visited the headquarters of the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) in Madrid on Wednesday as part of a widening High Court investigation into alleged attempts to interfere with judicial proceedings involving party and government figures.
Tajikistan is hosting the Fourth International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” from 25 to 28 May in Dushanbe, bringing together thousands of participants from governments, international organisations and financial institutions.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 26 May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Iran has called Monday's U.S. strikes on it 'a gross violation' of their ceasefire. The U.S. military said it carried out defensive strikes in southern Iran after boats were seen laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the U.S. says a peace deal may require several more days.
Shortly after nine o’clock on Tuesday morning (26 May), a sleek white train eased into Tbilisi’s central railway station, a couple of minutes behind schedule, carrying passengers from Baku for the first time since 2020.
The new AnewZ documentary, TARGET: Yerevan, builds its explosive case on exclusive, secret recordings originally published by Minval Politika.
Dozens of people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanese officials said, straining a fragile ceasefire agreed between the countries in April. The attacks came as Iran accused the U.S. of violating a separate ceasefire with strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
The World Health Organisation has warned that the risk of a widening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has escalated to “very high” at national level.
A luxury polar expedition vessel linked to a hantavirus outbreak has arrived in Rotterdam, where health authorities have placed the final 27 people on board into quarantine and have begun containment measures.
Medical teams are being rushed to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a fast-moving Ebola outbreak that has already caused dozens of suspected deaths and raised fears of wider regional spread.
The World Health Organisation’s designation of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is a stark reminder that Ebola remains a persistent global health threat rather than a disease of the past.
The risk from hantavirus to the general public remains very low, and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has more than 100 staff members actively working on the outbreak, a governmental health official said on Wednesday.
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