The World Health Organisation has said that governments will be held responsible whenever they fail to abide by global health rules.
While addressing a news conference on Tuesday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said “This goes back to governments. If they sign up to the international health regulations they need to honour their commitment. Because if they don’t do their part they pose a risk to their neighbours and beyond.”
She announced that a United Nations panel has been set up to review the issue, she said “As part of the Secretary-General’s high level panel I’m sure they will come up with some kind of mechanism to address governments that ignore their duty and responsibility and yet pose a threat to others.”
She insisted that weak health care systems have been blamed for the recent West African Ebola epidemic and poor standards in Saudi Arabia and South Korea had hastened the spread of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
She said “So the policy incoherence and the lack of understanding of governments to their obligation and duty to the convention is truly a big challenge to the world. It’s too easy to blame the individual.”
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