LettersHow to heal the WHO after the coronavirus pandemic? Try the opposite of what Trump did

While the World Health Organisation needs an overhaul, cutting off funding is not the answer. Countries could consider increasing their contributions, so the world body is assured of financial stability and need not depend on any particular donor.

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A staff member checks the temperature of a woman at the emergency department of a hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, on February 2. Taiwan and the WHO have engaged in a war of words over the latter’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:20am, 9 May 2020Updated: 6:20am, 9 May 2020

In “The global coronavirus crisis has made press freedom, in Hong Kong and elsewhere, more vital than ever” (April 2) Phil C.W. Chan says the “all-too-cosy relationship between Beijing and the WHO” has been exposed. I could not agree more. Recently, the World Health Organisation’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, engaged in a war of words with Taiwan and accused the island of launching a racist campaign against him.

Taiwan denied it was behind the campaign and its Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau said apologies on social media for the racist attacks, which had been made in Taiwan’s name, actually came from accounts based in mainland China.

I cannot help but think this was an orchestrated attempt by Beijing to defame Taiwan. Moreover, Dr Tedros singled out Taiwan when he slammed the personal attacks and death threats against him, while his colleague Dr Bruce Alyward appeared to hang up on an RTHK journalist when confronted with questions about Taiwan’s membership.

Meanwhile, Taiwan said the WHO did not take seriously enough its early warnings of an “atypical pneumonia”, which pointed out people had been “isolated for treatment”. Also, the WHO not only delayed declaring the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”, but also took figures provided by China at face value.

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However, the WHO’s failings do not excuse the failures of countries to curb the spread of the virus. Their governments should have been paying attention to developments in China long before the virus spread abroad.