WHO urges health overhaul as conflict, displacement and funding cuts strain Eastern Mediterranean

The WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Committee, meeting in Cairo, brought together health leaders from 22 countries and territories. The region’s annual health report shows that non‑communicable diseases – chiefly cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes – claim more than 2.8 million lives each year, accounting for roughly two‑thirds of all deaths. While many nations have made progress under difficult conditions, the sheer scale of chronic disease mortality underscores the need for stronger prevention and treatment pathways across the diverse health systems that serve hundreds of millions of people.

Beyond chronic disease, the region remains the world’s epicentre of humanitarian need, with more than 117 million people requiring assistance. Ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Yemen, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and other hotspots have displaced millions, while health facilities are repeatedly targeted, limiting access to essential care. Climate‑related shocks such as extreme heat and floods add further strain to already fragile systems. At the same time, international financing for both health programmes and humanitarian operations has fallen sharply, leaving national budgets under increasing fiscal pressure just as the demand for services rises.

In response, WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged leaders to prioritize prevention, equity and preparedness. He called for intensified tobacco control and other risk‑factor reductions, universal childhood immunisation, and the transformation of every primary‑care centre into a site where pregnant women receive quality care, newborns get a healthy start and chronic conditions are detected early. He also stressed the need for resilient health infrastructure – including robust surveillance, laboratory capacity, emergency workforces, secure supply chains and climate‑adapted facilities – arguing that preparedness must be built before the next crisis hits across the region.