Hyderabad:
Former chief scientist of the World Health Organization, Soumya Swaminathan, said on Saturday that the resignation of the US from the WHO would not be good for anyone, including that country, and that the contributions to the global health watchdog depend on the GDP of the respective countries.
In the hope that the US, who have so much technical and scientific expertise, will reconsider their decision, she said that if the country unsubscribe, the North American country would not have access to data from the WHO to be part of solutions.
'The richer the country, the more you pay, because you have to pay as a percentage of your GDP. The current system is very fair. You cannot expect a small country in the middle of Africa, such as Congo, to pay the same amount as the United States. States, “Swaminathan told PTI Videos, on the sidelines of the Hyderabad Literary Festival here.
She responded to the comments of US President Donald Trump that his country with 325 million inhabitants paid 500 million dollars to the WHO against China, while 1.4 billion people paid 39 million dollars.
Trump recently signed an executive order that started the process of withdrawal from America from the WHO, the second time in less than five years that the US have taken a step to withdraw from the world organization.
She believed that all countries, including the US, should work together for health care safety in the future and to protect people against pandemies.
“Even the United States will find it difficult to gain access to data to be part of solutions to know what is going on in the other parts of the world if they are not part of the WHO,” said Swaminathan .
“I think it is really good for no one that such an important, so large country withdraws.” She claims that health is connected and that all health risks are global, and said that viruses that arise in one part of the world can spread around the world within 30 hours.
“So unless we have global cooperation and global policy, rules and regulations and understanding between countries, it will be impossible to tackle the threats for global health,” said Swaminathan.
She said that the WHO is one place and platform where 193 countries come together and discuss issues, debate and come to consensus before they formulate rules, such as international health regulations and pandemic treaties.
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