Category: Governance

A well-trained workforce is essential for reaching universal health coverage. WHO supports training across the globe and across the professional spectrum.

This week we visit Samoa, where emergency medical teams are rehearsing for cyclone season; India, where trainees are learning to stop disease-carrying pests; and Malaysia, where health workers are gaining the skills to care for patients living with dementia.

Read on for those stories, along with reports of capacity building in Ethiopia, Haiti, Mauritania, Palestine and Zimbabwe.

Samoa hones its disaster-response skills

The Samoa Emergency Medical Team responded to a fictional cyclone scenario in November to cap off five days of training supported by WHO and the Australia and New Zealand governments.

The group rehearsed setting up and operating mobile clinics for a mass-casualty event.

“Trained medical responders who can reach affected populations quickly are extremely important in the effort to save lives during emergencies,” said Dr Kim Eva Dickson, WHO Head of Office in Samoa. Read more

WATCH THE VIDEO: In Samoa, medical emergency teams start their training

Mauritania’s new emergency-response teams clear their first hurdle

HO’s Regional Office for Africa has helped train Mauritania’s new emergency-response teams to quickly locate and stop disease outbreaks before they can become epidemics.

Since August 2022, the teams have responded to eight emergencies, and in one case, headed off an outbreak of Rift Valley fever. The first sign of trouble was miscarriage among camels; the team immediately traveled to the scene and identified Rift Valley fever, a life-threatening virus that affects animal and humans.

“We had to act quickly to avoid the emergence of epidemics whose immediate effects and consequences are very serious for our population’s health,” said Dr Abbad El Moctar Mohamed, an epidemiologist with Mauritania’s ministry of health.

Similar WHO-supported training has been held in Botswana, Niger, Nigeria and Togo. Read more

Participants from seven countries build their entomology knowledge to fight disease-carrying bugs

WHO and partners are preparing entomologists and others who work in vector control to fight back better against mosquitoes and other disease-carrying bugs.

A recent training week at the Vector Control Research Center in Puducherry, India, drew participants from Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor Leste.

“The exchange of ideas with participants from different countries, learning from shared experiences and their best practices, helped us learn various strategies beyond borders,” said Dr Surajita Banerjee, State Entomologist from West Bengal, India.

Diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and other insects disproportionately affect the world’s poor, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas. In WHO’s South-East Asia Region, vector-borne diseases of public importance include kala-azar, dengue, chikungunya, malaria, lymphatic filariasis and Japanese encephalitis. Read more

Training helps scale up mental health services in Palestine

Hundreds of health workers in Palestine are learning to identify and treat mental health conditions with support from WHO’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme and the Big Heart Foundation.

Palestine lacks the mental health facilities and services to keep up with demand. Training other health professionals to address signs of mental illness helps fill the gap.

“Since receiving the training, I am much more aware that physical and mental health problems can often be treated simultaneously,” said Ibrahim, an intensive care nurse at the European Gaza Hospital. “This is a new way of working for me and is helping me understand and treat my patients better. After all, the mind and body are very closely linked. One can’t do well without the other.” Read more

More from Palestine:

Better technology means less hassle for patients and health workers

A new paperless system has dramatically streamlined patient-information management at three primary health facilities in the Gaza Strip. Physicians can now record patient history, display test results, write prescriptions, order tests, receive clinical reminders and print instructions – all through a single platform.

Patients who once dreaded doctor visits because of long queues and confusing paperwork have been pleasantly surprised by the smooth operation made possible by the new system.

“I came in, was given my number and saw the doctor without having to wait. Now, I’m on my way to the laboratory to get some tests,” said Riyad, a patient. “The doctor has already sent the test request to the laboratory, and I do not need to carry any papers there.” Read more

Training supports workers on the frontlines of Haiti’s cholera response

Hundreds of community health workers in Haiti have mobilized to stop cholera, with training supported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

“We are on the ground, despite the difficult situation in the country,” said Esterline Dumézil, a community health worker since 2014. “This is our duty as community health workers, of which we are very proud.”

The workers disseminate life-saving information in most-affected communities and let people know how to prevent cholera and seek early treatment. The personal approach complements mass distribution of text messages, daily radio broadcasts and other outreach activities. Read more

Related: Zimbabwe strengthens capacity to fight cholera and typhoid outbreaks

Ethiopia expands community health insurance with donor training and support

Ethiopia is making progress toward universal health coverage by building its knowledge of financing for community-based health insurance – an effort supported with training from WHO, the World Bank and the P4H Social Health Protection Network.

Access to affordable health insurance has been steadily expanding in the country, saving many families from sinking under medical bills.

“This (insurance) has really helped our family to stay afloat,” said Misrak Fisseha of Addis Ababa, whose 68-year-old mother suffered a debilitating stroke in 2019. “I can now care for my mother and raise my daughter without having to worry about how to pay for medical expenses.” Read more

In Malaysia, WHO supports training for caregivers of people with dementia

WHO has been collaborating with the Malaysia Ministry of Health and the Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia to provide dementia-care skills training. Participants learn the symptoms of dementia, person-centered care, effective communication and more.

“Sometimes, I, too, get upset. But then I remind myself that the difficult behavior is caused by the disease,” said Dilgeet Kaur A/P Garanan Singh, a caretaker at the Golden Age Welfare Association Malaysia. “We cannot change the personality of people living with dementia. We need to adapt our own behavior to match their personality.”

Source: World Health Organization

MADRID— International tourist arrivals doubled in 2022 over the previous year, and should reach near pre-pandemic levels in 2023 thanks to the lifting of travel restrictions, especially in China, the UN’s tourism body said.

There were 917 million global tourist arrivals last year, up from 455 million in 2021, the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization said in a report, calling it “stronger than expected results”.

While the number of international arrivals last year was still just 63 per cent of the level posted in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the UN body predicts it could reach 80 per cent to 95 per cent in 2023.

“A new year brings more reason for optimism for global tourism,” the body’s secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili, said in a statement.

The report said international tourism is set to consolidate its recovery in 2023, backed by pent-up demand, particularly from Asia and the Pacific as destinations and markets open up.

“In the short term, the resumption of travel from China is likely to benefit Asian destinations in particular,” it added.

“At the same time, robust demand from the United States, backed by a strong US dollar, will continue to benefit destinations in the region and beyond. Europe, in particular, will benefit.”

Travel in and out of China dropped dramatically from 2019 levels under Beijing’s strict Covid curbs which all-but shut China’s borders for three years before they were reopened earlier this month.

The restrictions had left a gaping hole in the Asian travel market, where countries from Thailand to Japan had depended on China as their largest source of foreign visitors.

Analysts expect Chinese airlines are likely to make significant increases to capacity from the end of March, with the start of the summer scheduling season.

China was the world’s largest outbound tourist market in 2019 and the removal of its virus travel restrictions “is a significant and much welcomed step to the recovery of the tourism sector”, the report said.

But the UN body warned that high inflation and interest rates, fears of a global recession and the “uncertainty derived from the Russian aggression against Ukraine” could hamper the recovery of the sector in 2023.

“Tourists are expected to increasingly seek value for money and travel close to home in response to the challenging economic environment,” it added.

Europe, the world’s most popular destination region, recorded 585 million arrivals last year, nearly 80 per cent of its pre-pandemic level, due in part to a “particularly strong” summer season.

But Africa and the Americas only recovered to about 65 per cent of pre-pandemic visitors, while Asia and the Pacific region reached only 23 per cent due to stronger pandemic-related restrictions.

Most destinations also recorded “notable increases” in international tourism receipts, buoyed by people going on vacation for longer periods, a willingness to spend more on travel and rising costs due to inflation.

Traditional markets, like France and Germany, and emerging markets like India and Saudi Arabia, posted “strong” spending numbers last year.

Several destinations, including Mexico, Portugal and Romania, even reported tourism receipts above their pre-pandemic levels last year.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

UNITED NATIONS– United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, strongly condemned a deadly attack at a church, in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), his spokesman said, yesterday.

Citing preliminary reports, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, said, at least 12 civilians were killed and 50 others injured, when an explosive device was detonated during Sunday service, at a local church in Kasindi of the North Kivu province.

The United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC, is providing medical evacuation to the injured, in coordination with Congolese authorities, Dujarric said.

Guterres “expresses his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the people and government of the DRC, and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” said the spokesman.

The secretary-general stressed the need to hold the perpetrators of the attack to account, and noted that the United Nations Mine Action Service, is supporting the Congolese authorities in investigating the incident, he added.

Guterres also reiterated that, the United Nations, through his special representative in the DRC, will continue to support the Congolese government and people, in their efforts to realise peace and stability in the east of the country, the spokesman said

Source: Nam News Network

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will meet with her Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier Liu He, in Switzerland on Wednesday to discuss economic developments between the two nations.

The Zurich talks will be a follow-up to the November meeting between President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. The two world leaders agreed to empower key senior officials to maintain communication.

Strains between the world’s two leading economies have been growing despite their trade ties. The Biden administration has blocked the sale of advanced computer chips to China and is considering a ban on investment in some Chinese tech companies, possibly undermining a key economic goal that Xi set for his country. Statements by the Democratic president that the U.S. will defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion have increased tensions.

The meeting comes ahead of Yellen’s travel to Senegal, Zambia and South Africa this week in what will be the first in a string of visits by Biden administration officials to sub-Saharan Africa during the year.

Africa is crucial to the global economy due to its rapidly growing population and significant natural resources. China’s deepening economic entrenchment in African nations, surpassing the U.S. in trade with the continent to become one of the world’s largest creditors, is also a motivator for the U.S. to deepen ties with African nations.

Yellen has spoken at length publicly about China’s financing practices on the continent, calling them “economic practices that have disadvantaged all of us.”

She has also called on China explicitly to end its relationship with Russia as the Kremlin continues its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and its European and Asian allies have imposed sanctions and an oil price cap on Russia in retaliation for the war, putting China in a difficult spot as it had promised a “no limits” friendship with Russia before the invasion began.

It will be Yellen’s first in-person meeting with Liu since taking office and follows three virtual meetings between them.

Source: Voice of America

Following is the text of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the thirteenth session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Assembly “World Energy Transition — The Global Stocktake”, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, today:

Excellencies, I am pleased to greet the thirteenth session of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

As you gather to take stock of the world’s energy transition, one clear fact stands out: Our world is still addicted to fossil fuels with the 1.5°C goal fast slipping out of reach. Under current policies, we are headed for 2.8°C of global warming by the end of the century. The consequences will be devastating. Several parts of our planet will be uninhabitable. And for many, this is a death sentence.

If we are to avert climate catastrophe, renewables are the only credible path forward. Only renewables can safeguard our future, close the energy access gap, stabilize prices and ensure energy security.

Today, their share in global electricity is about 30 per cent. That must double to over 60 per cent by 2030 and 90 per cent by 2050. And it is possible — if we act now. To help get us there, I have put forward a Five-point Energy Plan for a just transition.

First — we must remove intellectual property barriers and treat key renewable technologies, including energy storage, as global public goods. Second — we must diversify and increase access to supply chains for raw materials and components for renewables technologies, without degrading our environment. This can help create millions of green jobs, especially for women and youth in the developing world. Third — decisionmakers must cut the red tape, fast-track approvals for sustainable projects worldwide and modernize grids. Fourth — energy subsidies must shift from fossil fuels to clean and affordable energy. And we must support vulnerable groups affected by this transition. And fifth — public and private investments in renewables should triple to at least $4 trillion a year.

Today, most investments in renewables are in the developed world. The price of renewable technologies can be seven times higher in developing countries. We must all work together to reduce the capital cost for renewables — and ensure that financing flows to those who need it most.

Multilateral development banks must play their part by investing massively in renewable energy infrastructure, taking on more risks, and leveraging private finance. Developed countries must work with credit agencies to scale up green investments in developing countries. And I urge Ministers of Energy and others to promote ambitious national policies and greater social and economic equity, including by taxing the windfall profits of those exploiting today’s energy crisis.

Excellencies, I welcome the Just Energy Transition Partnerships that have been established to support Viet Nam, Indonesia and South Africa. Such initiatives are a critical first step. But we must go faster and further. This is why I have called for a Climate Solidarity Pact in which all big emitters make an extra effort to reduce emissions this decade and ensure financial and technological support for countries that need it.

Together, let’s jumpstart a renewables revolution and create a brighter future for all.

Thank you.

Source: United Nations

A new report finds nearly a billion people in the world’s poorer countries are treated for often life-threatening conditions in health care facilities that lack a reliable electricity supply. A joint report by the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and the International Renewable Energy Agency, “Energizing Health: Accelerating Electricity Access in Health-Care Facilities,” has just been issued.

Health officials say electricity access in health care facilities can make the difference between life and death.

Heather Adair-Rohani is Acting Unit Head, Air Quality, Energy and Health at the World Health Organization. She says it is critical that health care facilities have a reliable, always functioning electricity supply available.

“Imagine going to a health care facility with no lights, with no opportunity to have a baby warmer functioning,” said Adair-Rohani. “To have medical devices functioning and powered all the time. It’s absolutely fundamental that we have this electricity. This is an often-overlooked infrastructure aspect of health care facilities that are desperately needed to continue to provide care to those most vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries.”

The report finds more than one in 10 health facilities in South Asia and sub-Saharan African countries lack any electricity access. It adds power is unreliable for half of all facilities in sub-Saharan Africa.

It notes electricity is needed to power the most basic devices such as lights and refrigeration as well as devices that measure vital signs like heartbeat and blood pressure. It says increasing the electrification of health-care facilities is essential to save lives.

Adair-Rohani adds it is important to maintain these systems once they are installed to ensure their reliability and functionality.

“Reliable decentralized renewable electricity in health care facilities can really ensure the resilience of climate change for health care facilities so that they can provide care in the most dire circumstances and provides emergency preparedness so that yes, indeed, when there is a hurricane or floods or what have you, they still are able to have some form of power to provide emergency care as needed,” said Adair-Rohani.

Authors of the report say healthcare systems and facilities increasingly are affected by the accelerating impacts of climate change. They say decentralized sustainable renewable energy solutions are available. For example, they note solar photovoltaic systems are cost-effective and clean and can be rapidly deployed on site.

The authors say building climate-resilient health care systems can meet the challenges of a changing climate while ensuring the delivery of quality health care services.

Source: Voice of America