WHO lists ten global health issues for 2021

NEW DELHI: Countries around the world will need to move swiftly to reinforce their health systems in 2021, the WHO has said.

“In 2021, WHO will work across all three levels of the organisation and with partners worldwide to help countries strengthen systems so that they can respond to Covid-19 and deliver all essential health services required to keep people healthy,” WHO says, while listing out 10 global health issues to track in 2021. It includes speeding up access to Covid-19 tests, medicines and vaccines and to tackle health inequities.

It said it is vital to ensure that screening and treatment programmes for diseases like cancer and heart disease are accessible to all who need them when they need them. “This will be a major focus, along with a new Global Diabetes Compact, and a campaign to help 100 million people quit tobacco,” WHO said.