Health Services
Melinda Gates tasks policymakers on protection of women, girls in fight against coronavirus
In a paper titled “The Pandemic’s Toll on Women and Girls,” Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates, has tasked global leaders and policymakers on the protection of women and girls in the fight against the coronavirus. Gates said that to recover fully from this pandemic, leaders must respond to the ways that it is affecting men and women differently. In the paper, she puts forward a set of specific, practical policy recommendations that governments should consider in their pandemic response—to improve health systems for women and girls, design more inclusive economic policies, gather better data, and prioritize women’s leadership. Writing in the paper, Gates described how previous disease outbreaks, including AIDS and Ebola, tend to exploit existing forces of ine...
Uganda grapples with refugee crisis amid coronavirus pandemic
As the world marks World Refugee Day on Saturday, thousands of Congolese are stranded at the Ugandan border seeking to enter the East African country after deadly tribal clashes back home. Uganda, according to government officials, has agreed to open its border entry point in the north western part of the country for three days starting from Monday to allow in an estimated 5,000 Congolese from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Uganda had closed all its border entry points to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. “We have received a letter from the Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees under the Office of the Prime Minister to host the refugees in our district,” Andrew Kajoingi, resident district commissioner for Zombo, told Xinhua by telephone on Friday. “We ...
WHO pledges to use ‘every tool’ to fight coronavirus
The World Health Organisation (WHO) would use every tool at its disposal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General, has said. Ghebreyesus spoke at the closing of two-day virtual World Health Assembly in Geneva. In his speech posted on WHO website, Ghebreyesus said some of the recommendations from the assembly would be shared and be implemented. “WHO’s focus now is fighting the pandemic with every tool at its disposal. “Our focus is on saving lives. At the end of the day, what matters is life. That should be at the centre of everything we do and everything we say. “I’ve been heartened by the way countries have shared experiences, best practices through our regular Member State briefings and at this Assembly,’’ he said. The director general said the agency woul...
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