The World Health Organisation has said it has released 2 million US dollars from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to support its response, deployed supplies for the Libya flooding, 28 metric tonnes of trauma, surgical and emergency supplies are due to arrive today from its logistics hub in Dubai.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedro Ghebreyesus who made this known in his remarks at Press Briefing on Thursday said WHO has also activated its network of emergency medical teams, adding that eight countries and organizations offered assistance and a team from France has already deployed its field hospital in the affected area.
Giving the update of the devastating flooding, the WHO DG made it known that the true toll of this disaster is still emerging, revealed that local officials reported over 5000 deaths and thousands more are still missing while over 35 thousand are displaced and homeless with area affected is home to over 1.5 million people.
He noted that the flooding in Libya are the second devastating disaster in a week to affect North Africa, mentioned earthquake in Morocco which killed almost 3000 people and injured many thousands. “These numbers will continue to rise in the coming days. Entire families are buried under the rubble, others are homeless, and some children lost both their parents”.
Ghebreyesus said further that the information reaching him is that most roads have now been cleared, and search and rescue teams have been able to access the majority of affected areas. “The Moroccan government is leading the response. WHO and our UN partners stand ready to scale up our response to provide supplies and technical assistance as needed”.
WHO recalled last weekend that he had the honour of attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, India which representing the world’s largest economies, adding that the G20 plays a critical role in global development, and global health.
Where he welcomed the Leaders’ Declaration, which highlighted a range of critical health issues, saying the G20 leaders reinforced their commitment to achieving universal health coverage, and to adopting a One Health approach, recognising that the health of people and planet are inseparable.
“They also recognised the role of traditional medicine, and welcomed the establishment of the WHO Global Initiative for Digital Health. Critically, G20 leaders reiterated commitment to strengthening global architecture for health emergency preparedness and response, with a central role for WHO”, Ghebreyesus said.
WHO DG went ahead to speak on the next week’s United Nations General Assembly, when leaders from all countries will come together to discuss most pressing challenges we face as a world, he said for the first time, the General Assembly will feature three High-Level Meetings on health issues, demonstrating how important health is to the world – today and for the future.
According to him, “The outcome will be a political declaration that aims at mobilizing political will, and for strengthening the governance, financing and systems for global health security. The declaration will support the ongoing Member State negotiations on the Pandemic agreement and the amendment of the IHR 2005”.
He called on all countries to do three things: “First, to protect and expand investments in health, to reorient their health systems towards a primary health care approach, to promote health, prevent disease, provide the services people need, and empower them to take charge of their own health.
“We understand that budgets are squeezed. But investments in primary health care are the most cost effective, because they can help to prevent or delay the need for more costly secondary and tertiary care.
“Second, we are calling on countries to take ambitious action to protect the poorest and most vulnerable from catastrophic health costs; And third, to urgently work towards doubling health and care workforce, especially at the community level, which is the backbone of every health system”, he said.
