Eastern Mediterranean hardest hit by attacks on healthcare, funding cuts: WHO chief

The Eastern Mediterranean faces mounting threats to healthcare from widespread attacks and severe funding cuts affecting nearly 2,000 facilities, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief warned on Tuesday.

Addressing the 73rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “This region has recorded more attacks on health facilities, health workers, and patients than any other.”

He stressed that hospitals, ambulances and health workers are protected under international humanitarian law and “must never be a target.”

He praised WHO teams operating in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Lebanon and Afghanistan, often at considerable personal risk.

“The best medicine is peace,” he said, urging an end to regional conflicts.

Tedros also warned that sudden and severe funding cuts have affected nearly 2,000 health facilities across the region, and called for greater domestic investment in healthcare to reduce dependence on international aid.

Despite financial pressures, Tedros said the WHO secured 95% of the resources needed for its current two-year budget period, “with some pockets of poverty.”

He said the organization reached a point of stability after reducing its budget and workforce, including cutting the number of assistant directors-general by half and directors by almost half.

Tedros added that the WHO’s reserves were now double their level when he took office, while its budget 23% larger.

The two increases in member states’ assessed contributions helped cushion the impact of funding cuts and the US withdrawal, he said, urging governments to approve another increase in May 2027 to strengthen WHO’s long-term financial stability.

Tedros also highlighted ongoing efforts to reform the global health architecture, saying a task force had been established following a mandate from member states at the World Health Assembly in May.

The task force is expected to report later this year, he said, stressing that the Eastern Mediterranean region, which accounts for a significant share of global humanitarian needs, must have a “strong voice” in shaping the reforms.