WHO Chief: World Is On The Edge Of “Catastrophic Moral Failure”

The world is on the “brink of a catastrophic moral failure” if rich countries hog Covid-19 vaccine doses while the poorest suffer. This was the statement made by the head of the WHO said Monday. It may seem very normal to some countries but this is a huge concern for the whole world.

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization condemned the “me-first” mindset of wealthy nations and also blasted drug makers for seeking regulatory approval in rich countries rather than sending their data to the WHO for the international use of green-light vaccines.

Speaking at the beginning of the WHO Executive Board meeting in Geneva, he said the guarantee of equal global access to vaccines against the coronavirus pandemic was now at serious risk.

Further Talk By Chief:

Chief Tedros said that in at least 49 higher-income nations, 39 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been provided so far.

Meanwhile, “just 25 doses are there in one lowest-income country. Not 25 million; not 25,000; just 25”. He added.

“I need to be blunt. The world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure — and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries”. He is totally right with his statements. If this moral failure keeps on happening, ultimately the world is going to lose. 

He said that even though some countries spoke reassuring words about equal access. They prioritized their own agreements with suppliers, increased prices, and sought to skip the queue.

Tedros said 44 such deals were in the middle of nothing in 2020, and since the New Year at least 12 have been already signed. He further shared various stats about the situation.

“The situation is that most manufacturers have prioritized regulatory approval in rich countries. Here the profits are highest, rather than submitting full dossiers to WHO,” Tedros said.

“Not only does this me-first approach leave the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people at risk, but it’s also self-defeating. Ultimately, these actions will only prolong the pandemic, prolong our pain, the restrictions needed to contain it, and human and economic suffering”. He added.

The nutshell is that it is going to be very harmful to the whole world if this situation continues. There should be proper rules and regulations implemented by the WHO in order to make things work fine.