In order to assist millions of people worldwide experiencing medical emergencies in 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) has requested $2.54 billion in funding.
An unprecedented number of interconnected health emergencies are currently in need of attention, according to the UN health organization.
It talked about the bloody conflict in Ukraine, the health effects of war in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and Ethiopia, and the tragedies caused by climate change like the huge floods that happened in Pakistan last year and the growing food shortages in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
It also emphasized the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic and outbreaks of other fatal diseases like cholera and measles coincide with all of these crises in the health system.
“We are witnessing an unprecedented confluence of crises that needs an exceptional response,” WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, adding that “The world cannot turn a blind eye and wait for these situations to go away.”
He claims that the WHO is currently dealing with 54 global health crises, 11 of which are high-level emergencies requiring a comprehensive response.
This year, a record 339 million people will require emergency assistance, up almost a quarter from 2022, according to the United Nations.