WHO | DD News

March 18, 2026 10:43 AM

Argentina formally withdraws from World Health Organization

Argentina has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno confirmed. In a social media post on Tuesday, Quirno said the country had communicated its decision through a formal note to the United Nations Secretary-General on March 17, 2025. In line with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the withdrawal has now taken effect one year after the notification. “Our country will continue to promote international cooperation in health through ...

March 6, 2026 10:03 AM

India backs WHO’s 90-70-90 target to eliminate cervical cancer

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday reaffirmed India’s commitment to eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem, while addressing a press briefing virtually at the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO). Speaking at the briefing, Nadda said protecting the health and dignity of women remains a national priority, adding that India is working to safeguard women from preventable diseases such as cervical cancer through prevention, sc...

February 10, 2026 4:48 PM

India’s doctor-population ratio improves to 1:811, better than WHO norm: Prataprao Jadhav

India’s doctor-population ratio has improved to 1:811, surpassing the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark of 1:1000, according to data shared by the Union government in Parliament on Tuesday. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, said the country currently has 13,88,185 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 registered AYUSH practitioners. Assuming that 80 per cent of registered practitioners in both systems are a...

February 5, 2026 10:01 AM

New York City joins UN health network after Trump withdrew US from WHO

The New York City Health Department on Wednesday said it has joined the World Health Organization's global outbreak response network following President Donald Trump's withdrawal of the U.S. from the U.N. health agency. WHY'S IMPORTANT Following the Republican president's decision to pull the U.S. out of the WHO, some Democratic leaders have made their regions join the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) in defiance of Trump. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been cri...

February 3, 2026 6:34 PM

WHO cuts appeal for health emergencies by a third to $1 billion in 2026

The World Health Organization is appealing for $1 billion for health emergencies this year, down by a third from last year, as donor funding falls and amid doubts about contributions from its former top donor, the United States. "We're focusing on those most in need, where we can save the most lives," Executive Director Chikwe Ihekweazu told a Geneva briefing on Tuesday, saying the funding would go to 36 emergencies, including Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. "We are deeply worried about the vast need...

January 23, 2026 3:43 PM

US withdraws from the World Health Organization

The United States officially left the World Health Organization on Thursday after a year of warnings that doing so would hurt public health in the U.S. and globally, saying its decision reflected failures in the U.N. health agency's management of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump gave notice that the U.S. would quit the organization on the first day of his presidency in 2025, via an executive order. According to a press release from the U.S. Health and State Departments, the U.S. w...

January 2, 2026 4:04 PM

India ranks 8th globally in WHO pharmacovigilance contributions: JP Nadda

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, J. P. Nadda, on Friday released the 10th edition of the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP 2026), marking a major step in strengthening India’s pharmaceutical quality and regulatory framework. The new edition was released at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. The Indian Pharmacopoeia is the country’s official book of drug standards and plays a central role in ensuring the safety, quality and efficacy of medic...

December 22, 2025 5:47 PM

WHO, Ayush Ministry hold key meet to globalize traditional medicine

The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush, held a two-day technical project meeting in New Delhi to advance the integration of traditional medicine systems into global health intervention standards. The meeting, held on December 20–21, focused on the development of a Traditional Medicine intervention code set under the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI), a global standard used for classifying healthcare procedures. The initiative...

December 16, 2025 5:48 PM

India at forefront as traditional medicine reclaims its place in global health discourse

As traditional medicine reclaims its place in global health discourse, the country stands at the forefront of this transformation, as its rich wealth of traditional knowledge, powered by modern regulation, digital systems and scientific rigour, marks India out as a world leader in this area, the government said on Tuesday. The country is set to host the second ‘WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine’ from December 17–19. The theme of the summit is “Restoring Balance for People and Pl...

December 2, 2025 3:37 PM

Explainer- GLP-1 therapies get WHO nod for obesity, but access challenges dominate concerns

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday issued global guidelines recommending GLP-1 drugs for the long-term treatment of obesity. According to the WHO, this disease affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. The decision comes at a time when demand for drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide has surged, and countries are working on how to include these therapies in public health systems. This announcement now formalises a shift that could influence medical policy, insurance coverage, and...