Europe should nurse itself after US support cuts: WHO director

Drastic support cuts, notably by the USA, have made it very important for Europe to higher handle well being assets, the director of WHO Europe advised AFP.

“We now have an enormous problem, as a result of the vast majority of our applications have been funded by USAID and the US,” Hans Kluge of the World Well being Group Europe advised AFP in an interview days earlier than a gathering of the 53 nations of the WHO European area.

Since taking workplace in January, US President Donald Trump has slashed US worldwide support and successfully dismantled USAID, the world’s largest humanitarian support company.

Kluge mentioned the WHO was experiencing an “existential” disaster with nations reminiscent of Britain, France and Germany, along with the USA, contributing considerably much less.

Regardless of a 20% funds lower, WHO Europe needs to spice up its function inside home European well being administrations.

“The WHO Europe of the longer term… is more healthy, stronger, trusted, evidence-based, and politically impartial,” he mentioned.

Kluge’s plan is predicated on restructuring the group and prioritizing its missions.

Psychological well being disaster

Kluge mentioned WHO Europe wanted a “twin observe” method needing to handle “handle a present disaster — (it) will be warfare, flooding” whereas preserving “core public well being applications operational”.

“That is the most important lesson discovered from (the) Covid-19” pandemic, he mentioned.

In Ukraine, for instance, Europe is focusing its efforts on protection and “not sufficient on well being”.

Europe should additionally deal with its psychological well being drawback, aggravated by warfare, loneliness, nervousness and the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, he mentioned.

“That is one of many large issues, the most popular points,” he mentioned, stressing the necessity to construct up “citizen resilience.”

One European in six and one youngster in 5 will expertise psychological well being issues in some unspecified time in the future of their life, based on the WHO.

Kluge mentioned his group additionally wanted to deal with worrying regional tendencies together with youth habit, an absence of on-line safety, the local weather disaster and non-infectious ailments.

“We are able to channel our few assets in these instructions,” he insisted.

Vaccinations are additionally essential, he mentioned, mentioning that in 2023, there have been 366,000 kids who had by no means obtained any form of vaccine. In 2024, that quantity had risen to 440,000.

Primarily causes reminiscent of the necessity to journey for vaccinations, prices and an absence of certified well being personnel led to this, he mentioned, including that medical misinformation was rampant as properly.

Vaccination is “essentially the most cost-effective public well being device which we’ve. So, we can not afford to lose it.”

Prevention was additionally key to making sure Europeans’ well being, Kluge confused.

“You place one euro in prevention, you get seven euros out of it,” mentioned the 56-year-old physician.

“It’s time that Europe ought to deal with Europe.”

© 2025 AFP