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Drastic assist cuts, notably by america, have made it important for Europe to higher handle well being assets, the director of WHO Europe informed AFP.
“We have a huge challenge, because the majority of our programs were funded by USAID and the US,” Hans Kluge of the World Well being Group Europe informed 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 assist and successfully dismantled USAID, the world’s largest humanitarian assist company.
Kluge mentioned the WHO was experiencing an “existential” disaster with nations resembling Britain, France and Germany, along with america, contributing considerably much less.
Regardless of a 20% finances minimize, WHO Europe desires to spice up its function inside home European well being administrations.
“The WHO Europe of the future… is healthier, stronger, trusted, evidence-based, and politically neutral,” he mentioned.
Kluge’s plan relies on restructuring the group and prioritizing its missions.
Psychological well being disaster
Kluge mentioned WHO Europe wanted a “dual track” method needing to handle “manage a current crisis — (it) can be war, flooding” whereas holding “core public health programs operational”.
“This is the biggest lesson learned from (the) Covid-19” pandemic, he mentioned.
In Ukraine, for instance, Europe is focusing its efforts on protection and “not enough on health”.
Europe should additionally sort out its psychological well being downside, aggravated by battle, loneliness, anxiousness and the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, he mentioned.
“That’s one of the big things, the hottest issues,” he mentioned, stressing the necessity to construct up “citizen resilience.”
One European in six and one little one in 5 will expertise psychological well being issues in some unspecified time in the future of their life, in keeping with the WHO.
Kluge mentioned his group additionally wanted to deal with worrying regional developments together with youth habit, an absence of on-line safety, the local weather disaster and non-infectious illnesses.
“We can channel our few resources in those directions,” he insisted.
Vaccinations are additionally essential, he mentioned, declaring that in 2023, there have been 366,000 kids who had by no means acquired any type of vaccine. In 2024, that quantity had risen to 440,000.
Primarily causes resembling 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 “the most cost-effective public health tool which we have. So, we cannot afford to lose it.”
Prevention was additionally key to making sure Europeans’ well being, Kluge harassed.
“You put one euro in prevention, you get seven euros out of it,” mentioned the 56-year-old physician.
“It is time that Europe should take care of Europe.”
© 2025 AFP
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Europe should nurse itself after US assist cuts: WHO director (2025, October 24)
retrieved 24 October 2025
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