TAMPA, Fla. — CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated that Kathleen Jeanty works at Health Care Without Harm as a Director of Global Communications. Jeanty is no longer affiliated with this organization.
Just hours after being sworn into office for his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order and announced his intention for the U.S. to withdraw from the World Health Organization.
Trump has criticized the agency for failing to hold China more accountable for its slow response to the WHO’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
Some say this could present an opportunity for global health diplomacy, but others are worried about the potential ramifications.
For over a decade, Kathleen Jeanty, a global health professional, worked in healthcare crisis communications abroad, managing the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew and the Haiti earthquake.
”I started working on a global project that distributed medication, life-saving medication, to those that need it around the world,” said Jeanty.
She worked for one of the U.S. federal contractors that managed the largest contracts for the global health supply chain, a project guided by the standards of the World Health Organization.
“So when we’re looking at things like outbreaks, pandemics, epidemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which all plays a central role in bringing the main actors together, bringing resources together, gathering data, sharing that data and making sure we’re all on the same page to address these threats to save as much life as possible,” she said.
The United States has been part of the World Health Organization since 1948. The recent executive order by President Trump has many in the medical field concerned.
“When we travel, we have the potential of picking up whatever may be anywhere and bringing it back home. And so by not investing in a way to look at things from a holistic global level, we’re actually leaving Americans more vulnerable to health threats,” said Jeanty.
In the new executive order, Trump’s reasoning for withdrawing from the organisation is what he calls its “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.”
Jeanty disagrees.
“It dilutes the United States’ position, influence, and power. This opens the door for another country to step up and take more control. So, we’re all really going to be watching this space and seeing what the fallout will be from removing the U.S.” she said.
The effects of this decision won’t be felt for another year. The U.S.’ current membership doesn’t expire until 2026.