Whither the World Health Organization?

The outgoing Director-General of the World Health Organization, Gro Harlem Brundtland, has successfully returned health issues to the international arena. The new Director-General will have to cope with reduced control over funding, debate over WHO's mandate, and the relationships between WHO a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMedical journal of Australia Vol. 178; no. 1; p. 9
Main Authors Reid, Michael A, Pearse, E Jim
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Australia 06.01.2003
Subjects
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - epidemiology
Health Status
HIV Infections - epidemiology
Humans
Immunization Programs
Life Expectancy
Private Sector
Public Sector
World Health Organization - economics
World Health Organization - organization & administration
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Summary:The outgoing Director-General of the World Health Organization, Gro Harlem Brundtland, has successfully returned health issues to the international arena. The new Director-General will have to cope with reduced control over funding, debate over WHO's mandate, and the relationships between WHO and other organisations. Despite the broad role described in WHO's constitution, many groups see WHO's mandate as narrowly directed at disease eradication. The method of choice for funding health programs has become public-private partnerships. These have the advantages of bringing private money, management expertise and research knowledge to bear on health problems, but rarely consider the health system as a whole, focusing instead on specific diseases. This has the potential to distort resource allocation and priorities. The international community needs to work to strengthen WHO and maintain its broad mandate to achieve the highest possible level of health for all people.
ISSN:0025-729X
DOI:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05031.x