The Ebola crisis has exposed weaknesses in health systems, the significant lack of international experts ready to be deployed in an emergency, and the world’s ill-preparedness to contain an outbreak of such a large scale.
But nowhere do these realities sting more than at the world’s premier health body, which has suffered intense scrutiny not just from the media, but also among experts and peers from the global health community. That included Médecins Sans Frontières, its most vocal critic, which while admittedly has its own shortcomings, received praise for its tireless work on the ground. The World Health Organization meanwhile has been subjected to never-ending questions over what it did and did not do.
An independent panel of experts, headed by former Oxfam GB chief Barbara Stocking, is expected to submit a report at the upcoming World Health Assembly containing findings of its assessment of the whole institution’s response to the pandemic, and recommendations on what and where can it do better next time.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
