Ashley Baldwin

Today, at the @WHO #EB156 in Geneva, I presented the report of @pahowho’s 61st Directing Council, highlighting topics of both regional and global relevance, such as the work of the intergovernmental negotiating body and the development of our Strategic Plan 2026-2031.

🛎️ PAHO today reported on three transmissible diseases affecting the Region of the Americas: #Dengue, #Oropouche, #AvianInfluenza (H5N1). ℹ️ Read more: paho.org/en/news/10-12-…

I am deeply concerned by the announcement that @MSF will cease operations in Port au Prince. As a vital health partner, they are instrumental in delivering life-saving care to the most vulnerable in Haiti. Health facilities and health workers are #NotATarget.

Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern #Gaza is receiving a constant stream of trauma patients due to ongoing hostilities in the area. The hospital has just one pediatrician, one orthopedic surgeon and limited nursing staff -- @WHO team assessed. The hospital building and equipment sustained damage during the most recent siege, and its four ambulances were destroyed. WHO transferred 23 critical patients with 21 companions from Kamal Adwan to Al-Shifa Hospital, and 16 patients with 16 companions from Al-Shifa to Nasser Medical Complex in a multi-day mission to north Gaza in the past two days. We have provided medical supplies, food and water for patients at Kamal Adwan Hospital -- but much more is needed. Additionally, this week we have also provided 40,000 liters of fuel and medical supplies for 6 six hospitals in Gaza City. As the situation continues to worsen across the Strip, especially in the north, keeping hospitals functional is of utmost importance. I will repeat again: the only path to safeguarding the health care system in Gaza from collapse is an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Lives depend on it!

#Sudan is one of the most neglected humanitarian crises in the world today. Failure to act means risking lives of millions dependent on aid. We need unhindered humanitarian access to support people with life-saving aid.

As military operations continue across the #Gaza Strip, @UNRWA keeps providing medical services to people in need   This is today in an UNRWA health centre in Khan Younis, #Gaza southern area, where our teams work to provide health consultations to as many people as possible

Thank you to @DirOPSPAHO and the @pahowho team for the warm welcome and productive discussions on pooled procurement and the local manufacturing of health products. Looking forward to collaborating in driving equitable access to essential health commodities across our regions.

Today we welcome Jean Kaseya, Director @AfricCDC and team for a 3-day workshop to share knowledge on pooled procurement and regional manufacturing. As we learned from COVID-19, health crises transcend borders, and we must work together to tackle them in solidarity.  #HealthForAll

Parents are anxious, lonely, overwhelmingly stressed – and their crisis affects everyone | Emma Beddington theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Parental leave isn't a holiday or a 'year off' – so don't pit parents against workers | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

🛎️ WHO Director-General declares #mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. ℹ️ Read more: paho.org/en/news/14-8-2…

Ceasefire! #Gaza

How Britain became a food bank nation theguardian.com/politics/ng-in…

Intense hostilities have severely crippled health care provision in Rafah where tens of thousands of vulnerable people still remain. To continue providing critically needed health services to civilians in #Gaza, while protecting the safety and security of its patients and staff, the @IMC_Worldwide has moved its 160-bed field hospital from Rafah Al-Mawasi to its existing facility in Deir al Balah. Only the @ICRC field hospital in Rafah Al-Mawasi remains fully functional, while the United Arab Emirates field hospital in Rafah city is currently the only facility in the area providing health services but is increasingly difficult to reach due to hostilities. Insecurity and ongoing closure of the Rafah crossing continue to compromise our ability to get supplies and staff into and around Gaza to keep health services – a life line for Gazans - functional. We call for a ceasefire. We call for safety for all patients and health workers. We call for the protection of all civilians. We call for the opening of the Rafah crossing.

The military incursion and increased hostilities in Rafah, including attacks on health care, have led to the closure of Al-Najar, Kuwait, and Al-Helal Al-Emirati hospitals — the three main hospitals in Rafah. The United Arab Emirates field hospital in Rafah city is currently the only facility in the area providing health services. Due to the ongoing siege and hostilities in its vicinity, the field hospital is increasingly difficult to reach. @WHO calls for the protection of health care, unimpeded access for humanitarian aid, and a ceasefire in Gaza

.@WHO mourns the deaths of Haitham Tubasi and Suhail Hassouna, @PalestineRCS paramedics who were killed yesterday while trying to respond to a call in Tal al-Sultan. We offer our deepest condolences to their families. Health workers are protected under international humanitarian law and must always be able to safely perform their duties. Health care is #NotATarget.

2023 was a year of many challenges, but also of many achievements. Some of it makes the headlines; most of it doesn’t. Some of it attracts the attention of donors; and some of it doesn’t. But my colleagues and I remain committed to serving the world as best we can, as we work together for a healthier, safer, fairer world. #WHA77 who.int/director-gener…

Amid ongoing intense hostilities, @WHO and partners still managed to reach Al-Ahli Hospital in #Gaza city. First mission to the north of the Strip since 13 May. We delivered 15,000L of fuel, 14 hospital beds, medicines and trauma supplies to cover the needs of 1,500 people. The mission also escorted 5 @PalestineRCS ambulances to the north to expand the service. Al-Ahli hospital is serving twice the number of people it is designed for, lacking essential surgical supplies, and salaries for the staff. No lifesaving surgery can be performed in the evening due to the lack of specialized staff. We are hoping to support the deployment of an emergency medical team there. Due to delays at a checkpoint, the mission was not able to access the nearby Public Aid Hospital. Road destruction, lack of safe access and fuel for missions is continuing to impede movement to the north. The city is full of debris and solid waste. We repeat our appeal for a ceasefire.