Donald Trump’s transition team is pushing to pull US out of the World Health Organization. On the first day of the new administration, according to experts WHO warn of the “Catastrophic” impact it would have on global health.
Members of Donald Trump’s team told the experts. Their intention to announce a withdrawal from the global health body on the presidents-elect’s January 20 inauguration. The departure would remove the WHO’S biggest source of funds. Damaging its ability to respond to public health crises such as the coronavirus pandemic.
“America is going to leave a huge vacuum in global health financing and leadership. I see no one that is going to fill the breach”, said Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health at Georgetown Law, adding that the plan to withdraw. “on day one” would be “catastrophic” for global health.
The battle over US relationship with the WHO comes after Trump nominated several allies. Such as vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy, for top health jobs in the next administration. However, Gostin said he was not sure that Trump would place as high priority on an immediate withdrawal some in his team.
The US is the WHO’s largest single donor, providing about 16 percent of its funding in 2022-23.
In 2020, Trump initiated the process to leave the WHO as covid-19 spread, accusing the agency under China’s control. But the process was never finished and his successor Joe Biden restarted relations with agency on his first day of office in 2021.
Experts have been told that. Some in Trump’s team want to move much faster this time around after initiating the process immediately. Some team members wanted to stay in the organization and push to reform it. But another team members who believed in cutting ties was winning the argument and pulling US out of WHO.
