WHO official: Data improvements won't happen without flexible funding

The World Health Organization’s efforts to help countries strengthen health data systems won't be successful without flexible financing to its budget for the next two years, said Imre Hollo, director of strategic planning and budget at the agency. “Unless there is a fundamental change in the amount of sustainable financing, it will be very difficult to realistically suggest strengthening the data and science functions in that revised program budget,“ he said at the World Health Assembly on Thursday, adding that it is difficult to fundraise for this type of programming from donors. A large portion of WHO’s financing comes in the form of earmarked funding. For example, only 8% of its funding for its global COVID-19 response is flexible, down from 30% last year. A recent WHO assessment of the status of country data and health information systems found that only 27% of nations have sustained capacity to detect health risks and only 26% have well-developed systems to report on births, deaths, and causes of death, according to Samira Asma, assistant director-general at WHO for data, analytics, and delivery for impact. Global data on COVID-19 deaths is one example of the shortcomings, she said, as the figures are an underestimate. Disaggregated data also continues to be a challenge for countries, hindering WHO’s ability to target inequalities with its programming, Asma said, adding that nations need strong, well-financed, and self-reliant health information systems. Countries have called on WHO to help them build data capacity, make health data available as a global public good, and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals by using data, she said. “WHO must strengthen its position as a modern, science- and data-driven organization and the world’s most trusted source of health data,” Asma said. The tools that the agency uses for these efforts include the SCORE for Health Data Technical Package and the World Data Hub. “COVID-19 has magnified the acute gap in country data to track health emergencies,” a representative from Kenya said during the World Health Assembly. A representative from Singapore emphasized that a country’s ability to make strong decisions and evaluate programming is dependent on having robust data, adding that government data sometimes differs from that collected by other parties. During the assembly’s discussions, countries advocated for an increase in the dues that they pay to be members of WHO — known as assessed contributions — but the proposed budget keeps dues at current levels, meaning budget increases are dependent on voluntary contributions. “A more sustainable financing of WHO is critically needed,” said a representative from Denmark. “The level of assessed contributions has remained largely static, while the proportion of voluntary contributions — often earmarked to specific areas or programs — has increased along with the overall budget. This has resulted in some areas being chronically underfunded, including noncommunicable diseases, emergency preparedness, and data and science functions.”