Unprecedented scale of health emergencies engulfs the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region
9 October 2023, Cairo, Egypt – As ministers of health from countries and territories across the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region gather in Cairo, Egypt, for the 70th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, the Region is facing an unprecedented onslaught of emergencies that are inflicting a profound and alarming impact on public health.
“The sheer magnitude and relentless frequency of these emergencies are putting the lives and well-being of millions of already vulnerable people at risk, severely testing our response capacities and threatening fragile gains made to protect public health and restore weakened health systems,” said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Region already bears the brunt of some of the world’s most protracted and complex humanitarian crises, with a total of more than 127 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. In just over the last 15 months alone, the Region has witnessed unprecedented flooding in Pakistan and Libya, deadly earthquakes in Syria, Morocco and Afghanistan, and serious escalations of fighting in Sudan, the occupied Palestinian territory and northern Syria. The Region has also documented 64 disease outbreaks so far in 2023, compared with 31 outbreaks in 2021.
In countries facing conflict and insecurity, disrupted health systems and limited access to people in need impede the humanitarian health response, putting the lives of thousands of people at risk. Disruptions include attacks on health care, inaccessible or nonfunctional health facilities, disrupted referral systems, shortages in medicines and medical supplies, and interruptions in disease