I understand your frustration (and tragic amusement) at the predictability of such bureaucratic responses from WHO. But could it be that this is a good thing? Surely there are merits in the fact that we have collectively built and (barely) sustained this global consensus-making body, and its creation of these consensuses using our best (adjudged by our consensus) techniques. Unfortunately, despite all that, the purity, objectivity, validity, and enforceability of the recommendations are often disappointing.
Perhaps we could push for trying some highly-achievable small tweaks that could markedly improve this process? Potentially including calling for the stronger infusion of apolitical courage? This might most-easily commence with more meaningful listening to non-state actors who routinely gather at World Health Assembly and related meetings, yearning to be heard. Should we offer to help organize the often frightening and chaotic, but potentially very high-yield intersept between these two types of organizations -- ideas on that?
Yours in Efficient Beneficence,
Erica
Erica Frank, MD, MPH, FACPM
Professor, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine
Inventor/Founder (2001), www.NextGenU.org <http://www.nextgenu.org/>
Founder (1988), Ulrich and Ruth Frank Foundation for International Health
Principal Investigator, Healthy Doc = Healthy Patient
HIFA profile: Erica Frank is the Founder and President of NextGenU.org, the world's first portal to free, accredited higher education, now being used in 193 (of 195) countries, and offering the world's first free degree (a Master's degree in Public Health), as well as a MedSchoolInABox that includes Graduate Medical Education. Erica is Professor and Canada Research Chair of Preventive Medicine and Population Health at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and is a physician specializing in preventive medicine. Her research established the strong and consistent influence of clinicians' health habits on their patients. She was Co-Editor in Chief of the journal Preventive Medicine (1994-1999), and the 2008 President of the Nobel Peace Prize winning (1985 and 2017) Physicians for Social Responsibility. erica.frank AT ubc.ca
