German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Monday (May 18) for reforming the World Health Organization to make it more nimble in responding to crises like Ebola that has killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa.
Merkel, opening the WHO’s annual nine-day ministerial meeting, said that Germany would contribute 200 million euros to help developing countries boost their defences against infectious diseases, including 70 million euros for West Africa.
The WHO and its director-general Margaret Chan have come under heavy fire for its slow response to the world’s worst Ebola epidemic. The outbreak emerged in Guinea in March 2014, but it only declared an international public health emergency in August 2014.
“I am convinced if we act faster and have clear command structure in place we will be better equipped to combat a crisis like Ebola next time that happens,” Merkel told the WHO’s gathering of 194 member states.
Guinea has seen a spate of new Ebola cases due to transmissions at funerals, a worrying sign as it seeks to stamp out the epidemic that has killed over 11,000 people across the region, a health official said on Friday.
Liberia became the first of the three hardest-hit countries to be declared free of the virus this month, completing a 42-day period without a case.
Germany, which has the G7 rotating presidency, also seeks to help countries build up health systems to confront neglected tropical diseases that affect 1.4 billion people worldwide, Merkel said.
Another priority was ensuring the effectiveness of antibiotic drugs, for treating both humans and animals, and combatting the build-up of anti-microbial resistance due to overuse, she said.
On Tuesday, the talks are due to take up an interim report on WHO’s handling of the Ebola outbreak.
REUTERS