On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a $1.5 billion emergency appeal to provide critical care for over 87 million people affected by ongoing crises in 2024, spanning regions such as Africa, the occupied Palestinian territory, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, and the Horn of Africa.
The appeal is particularly crucial amid the backdrop of climate change, drought, and extreme weather events exacerbating food insecurity, conflict, and displacement. This has led to more complex health emergencies, with healthcare itself increasingly becoming a target.
The WHO emphasized that every humanitarian crisis is, at its core, a health crisis, asserting that each dollar invested in their life-saving efforts yields a minimum return of $35.
Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, speaking from the WHO headquarters in Geneva, urged donors and governments to enhance their support. He highlighted the urgent need for action, stating, “There are only two ways to reduce the human suffering caused by health crises: increase the funding or reduce the needs. Neither is happening at the moment.”
Fully endorsing the appeal, UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths stated that it represents a small price to pay for safeguarding the health of the most vulnerable and preventing the deepening of the global health crisis.
Griffiths provided the example of Sudan, where nine months of war strained the health system, affecting everyday care and impacting civilians injured in the conflict. Weak disease surveillance and low vaccine coverage have led to recurring measles outbreaks, mirroring similar situations in countries like Haiti, Somalia, and Yemen.
Highlighting the broader threat to global health, Griffiths noted that in 2023, over 1,300 attacks on healthcare were reported across 19 countries, resulting in 700 deaths and 1,100 injuries to health workers and patients.
