scholarly journals Global neurosurgery: current and potential impact of neurosurgeons at the World Health Organization and the World Health Assembly. Executive summary of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies–World Health Organization Liaison Committee at the 71st World Health Assembly

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. E18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail Rosseau ◽  
Walter D. Johnson ◽  
Kee B. Park ◽  
Miguel Arráez Sánchez ◽  
Franco Servadei ◽  
...  

Since the creation of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948, the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) has been the major forum for discussion, debate, and approval of the global health agenda. As such, it informs the framework for the policies and budgets of many of its Member States. For most of its history, a significant portion of the attention of health ministers and Member States has been given to issues of clean water, vaccination, and communicable diseases. For neurosurgeons, the adoption of WHA Resolution 68.15 changed the global health landscape because the importance of surgical care for universal health coverage was highlighted in the document. This resolution was adopted in 2015, shortly after the publication of The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery Report titled “Global Surgery 2030: evidence and solutions for achieving health, welfare and economic development.” Mandating global strengthening of emergency and essential surgical care and anesthesia, this resolution has led to the formation of surgical and anesthesia collaborations that center on WHO and can be facilitated via the WHA. Participation by neurosurgeons has grown dramatically, in part due to the official relations between WHO and the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, with the result that global neurosurgery is gaining momentum.

2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 1256-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail Rosseau ◽  
Walter D. Johnson ◽  
Kee B. Park ◽  
Peter J. Hutchinson ◽  
Laura Lippa ◽  
...  

Global neurosurgery is the practice of neurosurgery with the primary purpose of delivering timely, safe, and affordable neurosurgical care to all who need it. This field is led by neurosurgeons, and global neurosurgery sessions are now part of every major international neurosurgical meeting. The World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) is working to coordinate activities and align all related activities for greater impact. This report updates the contributions made by the WFNS-WHO Liaison Committee at the most recent World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2019. The WHA is a decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), attended by its 194 Member States. The WFNS has maintained official relations as a nongovernmental organization with the WHO for over 30 years, and this year 15 neurosurgical delegates attended events during the WHA. Participation by neurosurgeons continues to grow as many WHA events focused on global surgery have intrinsically involved neurosurgical leadership and participation. This year, resolution WHA72.31, entitled “Emergency and trauma care, Emergency care systems for universal health coverage: ensuring timely care for the acutely ill and injured,” was passed. This resolution provides further opportunities for neurosurgical advocacy as the landscape of global surgery gains recognition and momentum.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-150
Author(s):  
Arina Androsova ◽  
Tatiana Novikova

In the light of Coronavirus disease pandemic, the question of state responsibility in global health has become actual as never before. Rarely mentioned in the scientific literature, but at the same time, an important problem is the lack of an appropriate dispute settlement body which is competent to consider cases of violation of the World Health Organization’s instructions. The goal of the article is to research different bodies which are potentially competent to resolve disputes regarding violations in the scope of healthcare and to determine the most appropriate one in the light of responsibility of states over the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper analyzes the possibility of resolving a dispute regarding the new pandemic in the International Court of Justice, through arbitration, through negotiations, within an advisory body, and through the World Health Assembly. The article also considers the prospects of other organs of the World Health Organization to perform judicial functions. The paper relies on the analysis of treaty regulations regarding functioning of presented bodies, as well as on enforcement practice of these bodies. Additionally, the authors take into account an attitude of members of the World Health Organization to named bodies. The article shows the advantages and disadvantages of each dispute settlement mechanism. It also develops ways of reforming named bodies to expand their competence to hold states responsible for violations during outbreaks of infectious diseases. The paper concludes that the only body, which is currently able to assign the responsibility of states, is the main organ of the World Health Organization – the World Health Assembly. The absence of an effective way of holding states responsible for violations leads to systematic breaches of their obligations. Today responses of the World Health Organization have become a subject of significant criticism. Furthermore, the World Health Organization’s authority in the international community has been greatly shaken. Thus, effective dispute settlement in the field can solve the burning issue of seeking fairness within violations in the area of global health and also improve the effectiveness of the World Health Organization as a whole.


Vox Sanguinis ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-224
Author(s):  
C.K. Kasper ◽  
P.M. Mannucci ◽  
V. Bulyzhenkov ◽  
D.B. Brettler ◽  
A. Chuansumrit ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Ken Hyland ◽  
Feng (Kevin) Jiang

Abstract Covid-19, the greatest global health crisis for a century, brought a new immediacy and urgency to international bio-medical research. The pandemic generated intense competition to produce a vaccine and contain the virus, creating what the World Health Organization referred to as an ‘infodemic’ of published output. In this frantic atmosphere, researchers were keen to get their research noticed. In this paper, we explore whether this enthusiasm influenced the rhetorical presentation of research and encouraged scientists to “sell” their studies. Examining a corpus of the most highly cited SCI articles on the virus published in the first seven months of 2020, we explore authors’ use of hyperbolic and promotional language to boost aspects of their research. Our results show a significant increase in hype to stress certainty, contribution, novelty and potential, especially regarding research methods, outcomes and primacy. Our study sheds light on scientific persuasion at a time of intense social anxiety.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-27
Author(s):  
Yen-Fu Chen

Despite being one of Asia’s major economies with a population of over 23 million, Taiwan has been mostly excluded from the World Health Assembly/World Health Organization (wha/who) since 1972, due to China’s objection. While this has not stopped Taiwan from developing a comprehensive healthcare system and being an active member of international health community, the lack of membership in the world’s leading health authority undermines global health and presents perverse, and yet often neglected, inequality faced by Taiwanese people. This article aims to provide contextual information concerning the impacts of Taiwan’s exclusion from wha/who by: (1) enumerating health-related areas where Taiwan has rich knowledge and experiences that would have been cascaded much more widely and efficiently to those in need around the world had it been allowed to participate; and (2) highlighting difficulties faced by Taiwanese people and potential threats to international health arising from the exclusion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Solomon ◽  
Claudia Nannini

Participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) is a multifaceted matter and should be understood as not only referring to the governance of WHO, but also to its scientific and technical work as well as its collaborative efforts towards advancing global public health more generally. The article is concerned, in particular, with the legal and political framework surrounding attendance and participation of states and various entities in the governing bodies of the Organization, at the global and regional level. It shows that participation in the governance of WHO is still today a domain reserved to the determination of its Member States. At the same time, solutions have been found and continued efforts are necessary to take into account geopolitical considerations and to ensure a meaningful and inclusive participation of all relevant actors in global health discussions.


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