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Congratulations to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for being 75 years this year because the constitution establishing it took effect on April 7, 1948.
Basically, it was created to coordinate health affairs within the United Nations system.
Its initial priorities were malaria, tuberculosis, venereal disease and other communicable diseases in addition to women and children’s health, nutrition and sanitation.
At the outset, it worked with member countries to identify and address public health issues, support health research and issue guidelines and also classified diseases among some other specified roles.
Today, the WHO performs countless functions in coordination with other UN agencies, governments, donors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector to ensure good global health.
For instance, it gives health alerts; receives reports of outbreaks of diseases in countries; helps in investigating and managing outbreaks; and provides surveillance services.
The global health organisation also provides all manner of technical and financial support to countries.
For instance in Ghana, it has assisted the country to develop strategic documents such as the National Action Plan for Health Security; and National Strategy on Non-communicable Diseases, including mental health; and the National Innovative Health Financing Strategy.
In a word, we can say that the WHO is the master coordinator of good health for all countries.
Acting on reports from its country offices, the WHO goes to the aid of any country in health distress and possibly helps to contain outbreaks there.
Even when circumstances do not allow that as in the case of a pandemic like COVID-19, the WHO does all it can to bring the disease under control.
The role of the WHO in national and international development and its achievements so far deserve celebration in its full force.
Ghana on Friday organised an event in Accra as a way of joining the rest of the world to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the WHO on the theme “Health for All”. (See our story on this page).
At that ceremony, the WHO Country Representative, Dr Francis Kasolo, said Ghana had been a major beneficiary of WHO’s contributions to member states over the years, impacting health policy, funding, infrastructural development, human resource capacity, regulation, research and health emergency response among other areas.
He then charged the government to accelerate efforts in meeting global health-related targets to promote the quality of health in the country.
The Country Representative implored the government to, among other actions, address the inequitable health workforce distribution across the country and increase domestic funding for health to improve quality delivery of services.
We think the appeal/advice from Mr Kasolo and, for that matter, the WHO should not be ignored.
It would be mischief and propaganda to say the government has not done well in improving healthcare in the country, but the truth is that the poor and the vulnerable are smarting under some gaps in the system that are worsening the conditions of some while being the causes of the deaths of others.
The National Health Insurance Scheme, for instance, does not cater for certain conditions, procedures and medicines and this is a great problem to the have-nots, which must be fixed to save their lives.
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