Political Science 5: International and Regional Organizations

2:00 3:00 TTHS P208

World Health Organization (WHO)

Submitted by:
Orap, Maria Melanie
Tadina, Ma. Kazandra G.

Submitted to:
Maam Angela Tenorio

Submitted on:
23 August 2016

Introduction
Background
On the 1st of January 1945, The United Nations Conference in San Francisco
unanimously approves the establishment of a new, autonomous international health organization.
Dr. Szeming Sze, a delegate from China, consulted with Dr. Karl Evang, a Norwegian delegate,
and Dr. De Paula Souza, a Brazilian delegate, to create an international health organization under
the guidance and financial support of the new United Nations. China was one of the four
sponsoring powers of the Conference that time and Dr. Sze initiated the proposal for a proposed
amendment to the draft charter which had been prepared at Dumbarton Oaks. Unfortunately, they
failed to get the resolution passed because of not having sufficient time left for submission. They
tried another approach by forming another form of resolution for Commission II, Committee 3,
of which Mr. Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar of India was the chairman. The aim of the resolution is
to call the member states of United Nations to have an international health conference in order to
bring up the possible establishment of an international health organization. The draft resolution
was formally submitted as a joint proposal of the Chinese and Brazilian delegations; however,
the committee delayed its authorization. Mr. Alger Hiss, the Secretary - General of the
Conference, recommended then to Dr. Sze, who asked for his advice, to rewrite a resolution in
the form of a declaration, which would not be considered as being under the same interdiction as
a resolution. The advice turned out to be good and with the overwhelming support from the
member states, the declaration was adopted. This then marked the beginning of the future World
Health Organization. The use of the word world instead of international emphasized the
truly global nature of what the organization was seeking to achieve.
On 6 July 1946, The International Health Conference in New York approves the
Constitution of the World Health Organization. It was signed by all the 51 countries of the
United Nations and by 10 other countries on 22 July 1946. It then became the first specialized
agency of the United Nations to which every member subscribed. In this year, the
epidemiological information service was also established.
On 7 April 1948, The World Health Organization Constitution formally came into force.
The World Health Assembly had their first meeting on 24 July 1948 having secured a budget of 5
million US dollars for the year 1949. Andrija Stampar, a physician from Croatia, was the
Assemblys first president; and George Brock Chisholm, a Canadian World War I veteran and
medical practitioner, was elected as the first Director - General of WHO. Chisholm also served
as the Executive Secretary during the planning stages. The organizations first priorities were to
control the spread of malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections; and to improve
maternal and child health, nutrition and environmental hygiene. Its first legislative act was to
have the compilation of accurate statistics on the spread and morbidity of the said diseases.

On 6 February 1950, the World Health Organization created World Health Day to take
place annually on 7 April. The World Health Day is a global health awareness day and is held to
mark WHOs founding. It is seen as an opportunity by the organization to draw worldwide
attention to subjects like global health and responsiveness on diseases. On 6 May 1950, World
Health Organization launched mass Tuberculosis immunization with the Bacilli Calmette
Guerin (BCG) vaccine to protect children from the infectious disease.
In 1952, the Global Yaws Control Programme was launched in partnership with United
Nations Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Yaws is a tropical infection of the skin and
joints caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum pertenue. It is most common among children
who spread it by playing together. It was one of the first diseases targeted by WHO and UNICEF
for eradication and with their successful programme; they were able to treat 300 million people
in 50 countries, reducing global levels of the disease by more than 95%.
In 1953, WHO had their second Executive Board Elections and Marcolino Gomes
Candau, a Brazilian doctor, was chosen to be the second Director General of the World Health
Organization.
In 1955, the Malaria Eradication Programme was launched, although its objectives were
later modified in 1969. The project was not successful as 14 years later, the campaign was
discontinued when it was recognized that eradication was not achievable with the available
means in many areas.
On 6 February 1958, the Smallpox Eradication Programme was launched. Smallpox is an
acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus, a member of the orthopoxvirus family. It
was one of the worlds most devastating diseases known to humanity. In 1967, the World Health
Organization intensified the global smallpox eradication by contributing 2.4 million US dollars
annually to the program and adopted a new disease surveillance method. With the help of
member states and other organizations, the disease was then declared to be eliminated in 1980
following a global immunization campaign led by WHO. It was the first disease in history to be
eradicated by human effort.
In 1963, the oral polio vaccines were licensed. It was proven to stop person-to-person
transmission of wild polio virus. To help ensure its universal use, the inventors, Albert Sabin, a
Polish American medical researcher, and Mikhail Chumakov, a Russian microbiologist and
virologist, donated the rights of the vaccines to the WHO on 6 February 1972.
In 1965, The International Agency for Research on Cancer was established to coordinate
and conduct both epidemiological and laboratory research into the cause of human cancer. The
research center collects and publishes surveillance data regarding the occurrence of cancer
worldwide. In the same year, the first report on Diabetes Mellitus was also issued. It is a chronic
disease caused by inherited and/or acquired deficiency in production of insulin by the pancreas
or by the ineffectiveness of the insulin produced. If left untreated, diabetes can cause many

complications like chronic kidney failure, damage to the eyes, stroke and heart diseases. WHO
aims to stimulate and support the adoption of effective measures for the surveillance, prevention
and control of diabetes and its complications through providing scientific guidelines for the
prevention of major Non Communicable Diseases including diabetes, developing norms and
standards for diabetes diagnosis and care, conducting surveillance of diabetes and its risk factors
and building awareness on the global epidemic of diabetes by making World Diabetes Day
celebrated every 14th of November.
On 6 February 1973, Halfdan Mahler, a Danish medical doctor, was elected as the third
Director General of the World Health Organization. He served three terms as the director
general of WHO from 1973 1988 and is widely known for his effort in combating Tuberculosis
and his role in shaping the landmark Alma Ata Declaration. The Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 is
an international conference on primary health care expressing the need for urgent action by all
governments, all health and development workers and the world community to protect and
promote the health of all people.
In the years 1974 1986, the Onchocerciasis Control Programme was launched in
collaboration with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This programme was used to kill the larvae of the
black fly vectors by weekly spraying insecticides over fast flowing rivers and streams which
are considered to be the breeding sites of the black flies. Other programs created are:
The expanded programme on immunization was launched. Its primary goal is to make
universal vaccinations available to all children in order to combat diphtheria, whooping cough,
measles, tetanus and tuberculosis.
The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases was established
in order to help coordinate, support and influence global efforts to combat neglected infectious
diseases that affect the poor and marginalized populations.
Lastly, the Global Programme on AIDS founded by Jonathan Mann, an American
physician, was created to develop and coordinate a global strategy to fight the disease. WHO also
called the 1st of December as World AIDS Day in which it is dedicated to raise awareness of the
AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. The day is celebrated through giving
lectures on AIDS and on how it can be prevented and controlled.
On 6 February 1988, Hiroshi Nakajima, a Japanese doctor, was elected as the fourth
Director General. He held two consecutive terms from 1988 1998. In the same year, the
World Health Assembly endorses a resolution on non discrimination against people living with
AIDS. In the resolution, it provides a background on the development of human health and
human rights framework.

In the years 1991 1996, the World Health Organization adopted a resolution to
eliminate leprosy. The resolution reflected WHOs commitment in achieving global elimination
of the disease. Another program launched was The Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course
(DOTS) strategy for Tuberculosis control. The resolution calls on governments to adapt and
implement the strategy with high level commitment and financing. It has five main curative
method used to control the spread of Tuberculosis. Up to date, DOTS method has already treated
30 million people through primary services.
On 6 February 1998, Gro Harlem Brundtland, a Norwegian politician, was elected as the
fifth Director General. She has also served three terms as the Prime Minister of Norway. She
established WHOs Commission on Macroeconomics and Health which assesses the impact of
health on development. She led the worldwide movement of abolishing cigarette smoking by
education, persuasion and increased taxation.
In the years between 2001 2002, the Measles Initiative was launched by WHO in
partnership with the American Red Cross (ARC), the United Nations Childrens Emergency
Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Foundation and the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). WHO designed the policies and health guidelines for each country to ensure
that proper and safe steps are taken during immunization campaigns. UNICEF imported the
vaccines for the target countries; CDC provided funding and technical and scientific bases used
for the program planning; and ARC did the social mobilization through volunteers. Also, the
Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria increased during these years.
On 6 February 2003, Lee Jong Wook, a South Korean doctor, was elected as the sixth
Director General of the World Health Organization. In the same year, Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS) was also recognized. WHO coordinated the international investigation with
the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and worked closely with the health authorities
in the affected countries.
In 2005, the World Health Assembly revised and adopted the International Health
Regulations. This new legal framework contains the threats from diseases that may rapidly
spread from one country to another. Also in the same year, the Partnership for Maternal,
Newborn and Child Health was launched by WHO to ensure that all women, infants and children
will remain healthy.
On 22 May 2006, Anders Nordstrom, a Swedish physician, became the Acting Director
General of WHO following the death of Lee Jong Wook while in office. One of his main
contributions to the organizations agenda was the advance policy for Health Human Resources
especially for low income countries.
On 4 January 2007, Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, a Hong Kong Chinese Canadian
physician, was elected to be the eight and current Director General of the World Health
Organization. During her time, she effectively managed the outbreaks of Avian Influenza or Bird

Flu and SARS; however, she was heavily criticized in 2014 and 2015 because of the slow
response of WHO to the Ebola Virus epidemic in West Africa.
In 2008, the World Health Organization advocated to protect health from climate change,
a growing threat to public health security.
In 2012, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome caused by a novel corona virus (MERSCoV) was first identified in Saudi Arabia. WHO collaborated with clinicians and scientists in
affected countries and internationally to gather and share scientific evidences to better
understand the virus and the diseases it causes. The organization is also working to develop
public health prevention strategies to combat the virus.
In 2013, the West African Ebola Virus epidemic was considered to be the most
widespread epidemic of Ebola in recorded history. The virus is transmitted from wild animals to
people and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. WHO aims
to prevent Ebola outbreaks by maintaining surveillances for Ebola virus disease and supporting
at-risk countries to develop preparedness plans.

Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established
on 7 April 1948 to further international cooperation for improved health conditions. They are
primarily concerned with epidemic control, quarantine measures and drug standardization. The
World Health Organization was given a broad mandate under its Constitution to promote the
attainment of the highest possible level of health by all people.
A healthy person as defined by WHO is not just someone who is merely absent with a
disease or illness; being healthy is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being.
Over 8000 public health experts including doctors, epidemiologists, scientists, managers,
administrators and other professionals from all over the world work for the World Health
Organization which operates in 147 country offices, six regional offices and at the headquarters
in Geneva, Switzerland. Each year, WHO celebrates its date of establishment as the World
Health Day.
a. Structure
On WHOs Governance, it takes place through the World Health Assembly, which is the
supreme and legislative decision making body. It is attended by delegates from all WHO
member states, meeting annually in May at the Geneva Headquarters, and focuses or discusses
on specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World
Health Assembly are to accomplish the decisions of the organization, including on matters and
supervision of WHOs policies and finances; to appoint the Director General who will serve for
five years; and to review and approve the proposed program budget.
The Assembly or the Executive Board elects 34 members, all qualified in the field of
health, to the Executive Board for three year terms. They meet annually in January to agree
upon the agenda and resolutions to be considered in the Health Assembly. Their main functions
are to give effect to the decisions and policies of the World Health Assembly, to advise it and to
facilitate its work. The current 34 Assembly members are Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Brazil,
Canada, China, Congo, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Gambia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
Kuwait, Liberia, Malta, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea,
Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Suriname, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America.
The Director General, who is elected by the assembly upon the nomination of the
board, is the head of the organization, who shares responsibilities with the six regional directors;
who are in turn chosen by member states of their respective regions. In 1949, WHO created
regional divisions, who are headed by Regional Directors, across the world. The Regional
Director manages and supervises a staff of health and other experts at the regional offices and in
specialized centers. They are known as WHO Representatives within the region.

The regional offices are located in Copenhagen, Denmark for Europe; New Delhi, India
for Southeast Asia; Washington DC for The Americas; Manila, Philippines for the Western
Pacific; Cairo, Egypt for the Eastern Mediterranean; and Brazzaville, Republic of Congo for
Africa.
WHO operates 147 country offices in all its regions. They do not recruit cigarette
smokers to show their support for tobacco free work environment principle. They also operate
several liaison offices, including those with the United Nations, World Bank, European Union,
International Monetary Fund, WHO Center for Health Development, International Agency for
Research on Cancer, and etc. Global Collaborating Centers such as academies and universities,
research institutes and laboratories also worked with WHO to carry out activities in support of
the organizations programs.
The WHO is financed through contributions from member states and outside donors. In
2012 - 2013, the largest annually assessed contributions from member states came from the
United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom and France. The WHOs work has also
involved increasing collaboration with external bodies. Non state actors, an individual or
organization that has significant political influence but is not allied to any particular country or
state, play critical roles in supporting WHOs work to fulfill its constitutional mandate. These
partners include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, whose primary aims are to enhance
health care and reduce extreme poverty globally, and the Rockefeller Foundation, whose
philanthropic activities involves medical, agricultural natural sciences.
b. Members
As of 2015, the WHO has 194 member states; all of them member states of the United
Nations except for the Cook Island and Niue. A state becomes a full member of WHO by
accepting and enacting the treaty known as the Constitution of the World Health Organization.
The member states are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,
Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook
Islands, Costa Rica, Cote dIvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Peoples
Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,
Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala,
Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,
Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Republic of
Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho,
Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives,

Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federal States of Micronesia,
Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru,
Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan,
Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar,
Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,
Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Solomon Islands, South
Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,
Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Thailand, East Timor, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and
Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United
Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam,
Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
c. Obligations
The World Health Organizations main obligations or functions are: providing leadership
on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint actions is needed; shaping
the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and dissemination of valuable
knowledge; setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation;
articulating ethical and evidence based policy options; providing technical support, catalyzing
change and building sustainable institutional capacity; and monitoring the health situation and
assessing health trends.
These core functions are set out in the 11th General Programme of Work, which provides
the framework for organization wide programme of work, budget, resources and results.

Objectives, Goals, Mission and Principles

WHO uses the six point agenda in responding to the challenges or problems associated
with health care and sanitation. The six points address two health objectives, two strategic
needs and two operational approaches.
The World Health Organizations six point agenda are: promoting development;
fostering health security; strengthening health systems; harnessing research, information and
evidence; enhancing partnerships; and improving performance.
Their missions are done in six areas of work. First is on Health Systems, WHOs priority
is to move health systems towards universal health coverage. The organization supports countries
to assure the availability of equitable integrated people centered health services at an affordable
price; facilitate access to affordable, safe and effective health technologies; and to strengthen
health information systems and evidence based policy making. They assist countries to
develop, implement and monitor solid national health plans.
Second area of work is focused on the Non Communicable Diseases which includes
lung diseases, cancer, diabetes, mental health conditions and heart diseases together with
violence and injuries. The consequences of these diseases reach beyond the health sector and
solutions require more than a system that prevents and treats disease.
Third is the Promotion of Health through Life Course. WHO takes into account the need
to address environment risks and social determinants of health, as well as gender, equity and
human rights, when promoting good health. This work has a crucial focus on finishing the
agenda of the Millennium Development Goals and reducing disparities between and within
countries.
Fourth is the focus on Communicable Diseases. WHO is working with countries to
increase and sustain access to prevention, treatment and care for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis,
Malaria and neglected tropical diseases and to reduce vaccine preventable diseases.
Fifth are the Preparation, Surveillance and Response Tasks. WHOs operational role
includes leading and coordinating the health response in support of countries; undertaking risk
assessments; identifying priorities and setting strategies; providing critical technical guidance,
supplies and financial resources; and monitoring the health situation. WHO also helps countries
to strengthen their national core capacities for emergency risk management to prevent, prepare
for, respond to and recover from emergencies due to any hazard that pose a threat to human
health security.
Lastly, WHO cooperates with Corporate Services who provide the enabling functions,
tools and resources that make all of this work possible. Corporate Services includes governing

bodies, legal teams and expert advisory panels, communications staff, human resources and
building services.
As a specialized agency of the UN System, the World Health Organization is firmly
committed to the following ethical principles: loyalty to WHOs goals, missions, priorities and
policies; integrity and honesty in actions and decisions that may affect WHO; impartiality and
independence from external sources and authorities; discretion; respect for the dignity, worth,
equality and diversity of all persons; accountability; and technical excellence. The World Health
Organization is determined and dedicated in following the principles set out in the preamble of
their Constitution.

Projects
One project of the World Health Organization is the Global Framework for Climate
Change Services Adaptation Programme which mostly targets the population of Africa. Africa
maintains to be the continent which is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and
faces increasing repercussions to food security, nutrition, water supplies and low socio
economic development. Due to Climate Change, there are many diseases that have been
spreading in Africa. Adaptation strategies are implemented so that communities exposed to
diseases and other liabilities can survive and attain good health. The emphasis of this programme
is mainly on the lands of Tanzania, Ethiopia and Malawi wherein food security and nutrition
inadequate. The project focuses on strengthening the position of health issues in the international
debate on the adaptation to climate change and making it in a higher prioritization at a national
level.
The program involves engaging in institutional anchorage of programmes at the highest
possible level to bring together various existing platforms, improving capacity of national actors
and their abilities to raise awareness on climate related risks, integrating climate service priorities
within National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), improving early warning systems (EWS), identifying
households climate service gaps and their needs, improving coordination and exploiting
synergies.
Another project of WHO is the Polio Eradication Program whose goal is to establish a
more effective system for providing vaccinations in Nigeria and to increase the number of
children under five years of age who receive polio vaccines. This project contributes in the
increase n percentages of children under five years of age who receive a full complement of
vaccinations. It is also used as a platform for delivering other essential health services, such as
routine vaccinations against common preventable diseases and health education. The World
Health Organization worked with the political, traditional and religious leaders in Nigeria to
build momentum towards greater community acceptance of the polio immunization.
The results achieved as of July 2014 contributes to the reducing on number of polio cases
from 103 in 2012 2013 to 37 in 2013 2014 and providing training for the vaccination teams
in high risk states, enlisting 27914 new community assistants since December 2012. It has also
contributed in the updating of polio eradication household micro plans including identifying
vaccination centers, transports plans and logistic requirements. Substantial net benefits were
analyzed after the launching of the Polio Eradication Programme. Results also showed that it has
helped in the strengthening of the routine immunization system in Nigeria.
One successful project made by the World Health Organization is the Emergency Health
Care during the Ukraine Crisis. It was reported that over 275000 people have been displaced
from their homes and an estimated 341000 have fled to neighboring countries because of the war
conflict. Since the beginning of the protests, Ukraine has experienced problems on many fronts

like mass violence, continuous struggle against the pro Russian oblasts, political issues leading
to a regime change and a deep economic crisis. The United Nations has strengthened its
commitment in assisting people whose rights are being violated because of wars.
The project Right Up Front is made in order for the United Nations and its partner
agencies to have the permission to navigate through the difficult politics present in a war zone to
help ensure that rights are being protected. It involves informing national authorities and human
rights protection organizations or agencies, leveraging capacities and creating coherent strategies
for remedial action, helping countries in the implementation of these policies and speaking out
publicly about the issues of concern. WHO worked with partners in the United Nations family of
agencies, the Ukrainian Red Cross, International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies, Doctors without Borders, International Medical Corps and local non governmental
organizations to take actions in order to meet its responsibilities of achieving the highest possible
protection of health and human rights.
Another successful project of the World Health Organization was the Prevention of HIV
and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Thailand. Between 1989 and 1990, the proportion of
direct sex workers in Thailand infected with HIV tripled, from 3.5% to 9.3% and a year later,
reached 21.6% making HIV/AIDS a great threat for human health in Thailand. WHO launched
the campaign No Condom, No Sex in order to prevent the spread of the infection and to lessen
the population of the people who has it. This program ensured that all sex workers in direct sex
establishments were required to use condoms with clients. An independent study conducted by
the Institute for Population and Social Research of Mahidol University in Thailand, supported by
UNAIDS and the Thai Ministry of Public Health, provided the evidence that the campaign had
contributed significantly in the reduction of HIV transmission throughout the country.

Issues
a. WHO and the Catholic Churchs Opposition on Contraceptives for HIV/AIDS
Prevention
The African AIDS epidemic can be defeated by means already known and easily
implemented. This can be achieved by reducing transmission where it is at the highest levels,
through ensuring both that a very high proportion of strictly commercial sexual relations are
accompanied by the use of condoms and that a high proportion of premarital adolescent sexual
activity involves the use of condoms. Both would require much highly motivated activity by
national governments. Strong informational programs must continue to point out ways on how to
prevent and control the spread of these sexually transmitted diseases. (Caldwell, 2000)
The Catholic Church is opposed in the increasing use of contraception especially
condoms in combating sexually transmitted diseases like HIV or AIDS. They disagree on
condom use between heterosexual couples because it is an artificial form of contraception that
does not rely on the functions of the body itself as to whether a conception will occur or not. The
Church also believes that artificial contraception serves to implicitly and inexcusably encourage
premarital and extramarital affairs. According to them, the promotion on the concept of
abstinence is the only moral way accepted in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted
diseases.
Some public health officials and AIDS activists had strongly criticized this Churchs
perspective calling it ineffective, impractical and irresponsible for sexually transmitted diseases
like HIV/AIDS is already a global pandemic which has killed more than 20 million people and
currently affecting at least 42 million. Researchers also suggested that condoms help in the
reducing on the numbers of those who are infected with STDs claiming that abstinence only
sex education does not work. Empirical evidences also indicate that artificial contraception
lowers the chance of the person getting a sexually transmitted disease.
b. WHO and their Slow Response to the Ebola Virus Epidemic
The 2014/2015 West Africa Ebola epidemic has caused the global public health
community to engage in difficult self reflection. We contribute to the current self reflection
by presenting an analysis using a Primary Health Care (PHC) approach. This approach is
appropriate as African countries in the region affected by the Ebola virus disease have
recommitted themselves to PHC as a framework for organizing health systems and the delivery
of health services. The approach suggests that, in an epidemic made complex by weak pre
existing health systems, lack of trust in authorities and mobile populations, a broader approach is
required to engage affected communities. This is a major breakthrough in the fight against Ebola
virus disease for it does not replace but may be a powerful adjunct to current strategies of Ebola
virus management and control. The PHC approach offers an insightful critique of the global and
regional factors which have compromised the response of health systems in Guinea, Liberia and

Sierra Leone as well as suggesting what a strengthened Ebola virus response might involve in the
short, medium and long term. (Scott et al., 2016)
The World Health Organization was heavily criticized for its bureaucracy, insufficient
financing, regional structure and staffing profile last 2014 when the Ebola virus outbreak in West
Africa became epidemic. An internal WHO report on the Ebola response pointed to underfunding
and lack of core capacity in health systems in developing countries as the primary weaknesses
of the existing system. They were criticized by a panel of global health experts that convened to
review the course of the epidemic and make recommendations. A WHO spokesperson said the
organization welcomed the report and that they are reviewing the recommendations carefully, as
well as those provided by other groups. The head, Director General Margaret Chan,
acknowledged that there had been problems in their response for the Ebola outbreak but also
admitted that the programs results will be judged by history; and WHO will then just focus their
entire energy and attention to help countries that are being affected in order to get the job done.
c. WHO and its Evaluation of Health System Performance
The World Health Organization's (WHO) approach to the measurement of health system
efficiency is briefly described. Four arguments are then presented. First, equity of finance should
not be a criterion for the evaluation of a health system and, more generally, the same objectives
and importance weights should not be imposed upon all countries. Secondly, the numerical
values of the importance weights do not reflect their true importance in the country rankings.
Thirdly, the model for combining the different objectives into a single index of system
performance is problematical and alternative models are shown to alter system rankings. The
WHO statistical analysis is replicated and used to support the fourth argument which is that,
contrary to the author's assertion, their methods cannot separate true inefficiency from random
error. The procedure is also subject to omitted variable bias. The econometric model for all
countries has very poor predictive power for the subset of OECD countries and it is
outperformed by two simpler algorithms. Country rankings based upon the model are
correspondingly unreliable. It is concluded that, despite these problems, the study is a landmark
in the evolution of system evaluation, but one which requires significant revision. (Richardson et
al., 2003)

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