As many in the world are shocked at the recent unfortunate decision by President Donald Trump to stop funding the World Health Organization amid the COVID-19 pandemic, former President of Ghana, Jonh Mahama has chosen to add his voice.
The former President who has been active in curbing the spread of COVID-19 as well as supporting the needy wrote on his Twitter page about how the US has continued to cede world leadership and the tragic mistake being committed.
He wrote, ” The US continues to cede world leadership… It is a tragic mistake to withhold funding to WHO in the midst of this dreadful #COVID19 pandemic.”
The US continues to cede world leadership… It is a tragic mistake to withhold funding to WHO in the midst of this dreadful #COVID19 pandemic.
— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) April 15, 2020
According to President Donald Trump, the WHO has failed in its basic duty in its response to the coronavirus outbreak. The US President claimed that the WHO has mismanaged and covered up the spread of the coronavirus after its discovery in China. He also suggested that the WHO must be held accountable.
“I am directing my administration to halt funding while a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus,” President Trump Said.
His decision is seen by many as a danger in curbing COVID-19 as most countries across the globe will be affected.
The Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has responded to Donald Trump’s halting US funding for WHO. In response, he calls for unity in the struggle against a common threat.
Other international figures also took to Twitter to condemn Trump’s action and in solidarity donated huge sums of money to the WHO.
However, this is a wake-up call for institutions to find various ways of funding than depending one a single power source. Many have made the suggestions that the WHO must restructure and reorganize after the COVID- 19 pandemic.
The WHO
The WHO is a United Nation Agency, now 72 years and began when the Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948. The WHO has been working with over 7000 people with more than 150 field offices worldwide. The headquarters of WHO is in Geneva, Switzerland.
The core function of the WHO is to direct and coordinate international health work through collaboration with partners globally, the United Nations system, international organisations, civil society, foundations, academia, and research institutions.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
The novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, which has spread across the world and declared a pandemic by the WHO. As of 16 April, the virus has affected about 1,954,724 including 126,140 deaths worldwide according to WHO report. Africa has 11, 843 confirmed cases.
Source: African Post online
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