Dear CHIFA colleagues,
I am sure these new WHO courses on newborn and child health are excellent, as is the case for the vast majority of WHO's outputs. However, I have a wider question: As WHO's capacity is constrained by budget cuts, is it time for WHO to focus on information products that it is uniquely, or mainly, positioned to produce (for example, international guidelines), and to de-emphasise products (such as child health courses) that could be done equally well by others? I look forward to read your thoughts.
Read online:
https://www.who.int/news/item/14-08-2025-world-patient-day-2025-explore-...
14 August 2025 Departmental update Lyon, France Reading time: Less than a minute (212 words)
A single safety incident can have lifelong consequences for a child's health and development. That's why World Patient Safety Day 2025 is dedicated to ensuring safe care for every newborn and child, with a special focus on those from birth to nine years old.
This year's slogan, "Patient safety from the start!", underscores the urgent need to act early and consistently to prevent harm throughout childhood and deliver lasting benefits across the life course.
Explore free WHO Academy courses on newborn and child health. Click the links below to register and start learning today.
Newborn and child health courses
Infection Prevention and Control in Maternal and Neonatal Care
Essential postpartum family planning counselling
Respectful maternity and newborn care
Oral Health Care of Pregnant Women and Newborns
Accelerating elimination of congenital syphilis: ensuring adequate diagnosis and treatment
Integrated management of childhood illness
Related courses
Counseling and prescribing of contraception in pharmacies (AR, ES, FR, RU,ZH)
eLearning Caregiver Skills Training for Families of children with Developmental Delays or Disabilities
Mainstreaming of gender equality, disability and social inclusion in WASH in healthcare facilities
Gender and health: awareness, analysis, and action
Social participation for universal health coverage
Medical Abortion (AR, ES, FR, RU, ZH)
Integration of a human-rights based approach to comprehensive abortion care
CHIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based
nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization.
Email: neil@hifa.org