Episode 4: WHO sans America
Donald Trump has shaken up the American bureaucratic landscape since he assumed his second stint as president in January. True to form, he not only rocked the domestic scene but also sent tremors internationally, a major one being the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
Jarring indeed. But while some see doom and gloom, others see a silver lining. The latter was the theme of the latest Monash University Malaysia’s Future Conversations podcast for which three leading regional health experts came together to examine Trump’s move and what it could mean.
Hosted by Monash University Malaysia’s Professor of Practice in Digital Media and Communication, Professor Meera Sivasothy, the compelling discussion saw the gauntlet being thrown by Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Monash University Malaysia’s President and Pro Vice-Chancellor, who noted the American move would primarily affect WHO projects benefiting middle-income countries, including Malaysia.
“How can we do better? How can the Global South take more control over their health? Sometimes we hear people say, ‘Never waste a good crisis,’ right?
“This is really a time for WHO member states to seize. To take charge and no longer be dependent on one country. We've just become addicted to that easy flow from the US, and this is really a wake-up call.”
But while the US contributed about one billion US dollars to the WHO annually which is only about 18 percent of the body’s funding, Professor Adeeba is quick to caution that overcoming American dependence will not be easy.
“Wealthy regional countries like in the Middle East and other multilateral groupings like BRICS should step up. The [other 193] WHO member states can also increase their contributions.
“It's an opportunity for South-South collaboration whether in research, forward planning or execution.” BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, while the Global South broadly refers to developing economies in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.
‘Making Health Policy’ author and Director of Program Development at the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Professor Kent Buse, said Trump’s excuse that the WHO was inefficient was a red herring.
“There have been efforts [to reform the WHO], and President Trump could have used his muscle to engage in those conversations. But you know, it's just another red herring.
“This is just part of a much wider agenda that is basically anti-regulation, anti-multilateral.”
WHO veteran and Monash University Malaysia Public Health and Policy expert Professor Elil Renganathan warned that the American pullout could affect the WHO’s ongoing polio eradication program. It plays a leading role through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a public-private partnership.
“When you look at the totality of funding, 20 percent of WHO’s budget is spent on polio. So it (American funding) does make a big difference.”
He also highlighted the WHO’s efforts to reduce costs by decentralising operations from its Geneva headquarters.
“There is a management administrative centre here in Cyberjaya and a centre in Tunisia that covers travel. Having probably the same number of staff that are necessary in Geneva, but then at a reduced cost. Those kinds of things.”
On whether the WHO had bungled the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as alleged by the Trump administration, the experts were unanimous in their defence of the international body.
“Absolutely not. If you compare the United States's performance (in handling the pandemic) against other countries, the United States did worse than most others,” said Professor Buse.
He also brought up the Wuhan lab leak theory as well as China’s reactions during the early stages of the pandemic. Listen to this in the full podcast here, where the policy experts and Professor Meera also discussed the inner workings of the WHO, why this isn’t its first funding dilemma and what the future holds.
Make Monash University Malaysia's Future Conversations your go-to platform to engage with the big questions shaping our world today. For more information, e-mail: mum.media@monash.edu