Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is critical to the survival of the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ihekweazu said this in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.
The NCDC DG stated that the international health agency is important to Africa because it also provides expertise for the continent.
Ihekweazu said;
“The funding for WHO is so important. It is hard to really explain to somebody living outside of the continent how important this organization is for the work that we do.
“We rely on them for guidance. Lives are saved because of the work they do. We don’t have the luxury of this continent to build up all the infrastructure on our own, the knowledge, the expertise they offer.
“So, the organization is critical to our collective survival, and therefore, the collective survival of the world.”
The NCDC DG who called for more support and funding for WHO to carry out its function at this critical time, warned that halting funding for the body may spell doom for the world.
He added;
“A price will be paid and I hope we’ll never get to that stage. But if the funding for WHO is affected in the way it may be, that will be a huge price for humanity to pay and not just all of us on this side of the world. I really hopes that comes to pass.”
With support from our donors @WHOAFRO is able to carry out vital work on the continent, supporting countries in strengthening health systems along with partners like @NCDCgov. Thank you Dr @Chikwe_I for your support. pic.twitter.com/zqGC4kdrFA
— Dr Matshidiso Moeti (@MoetiTshidi) April 23, 2020
Recall that the United States Government had halted payments to the United Nations agency, pending a review of its relationship with the Chinese government and mismanaging the early spread of Coronavirus.
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