DUBAI: US President Donald Trump said earlier this week he would halt funding to the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic even as he has reacted angrily to criticism of his administration’s response.
The United States is the biggest overall donor to the Geneva-based health organization, contributing more than $400 million in 2019, roughly 15 percent of its budget, which Trump said would be placed on hold for between 60 to 90 days pending a review of the WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation meanwhile opposed the US decision to suspend funding to the health body, which would make the philanthropic organization the largest donor should Trump’s permanently withdraw its financial support.
Arab News readers also shared the same sentiment with almost two out of three of the 1,157 Twitter users who responded to the poll agreeing that the WHO needed funding. About 40 percent meanwhile said the WHO has failed the world.
But @Chuanito2 was critical of the WHO at the same time, and commented that the health organization “failed with the management, giving full credit to data provided by China, and providing a very unclear and panic-less messages at the beginning.”
Too complex answers to be just yes or no. Yes, WHO has failed with the management, giving full credit to data provided by China, and providing a very unclear and panic-less messages at the beginning. And No, support should not be cut in this moment.
— Chuanito (@Chuanito2) April 16, 2020
Now take our new poll:
Do you believe #Coronavirus was man-made in a laboratory ?
— Arab News (@arabnews) April 17, 2020
