RIYADH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Hanan H. Balkhy, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, has highlighted China's contribution to global health, describing the country as an important partner for the WHO.
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Balkhy cited China's public health achievements, medical teams working alongside health professionals in other countries, and its capacity to manufacture vaccines, medicines and other health products, calling for stronger cooperation between the WHO and China in areas including access to health products, South-South cooperation and antimicrobial resistance.
The WHO official pointed to China's malaria elimination as an example of how national public health experience can contribute to global health. The WHO certified China malaria-free in 2021, while the country's "1-3-7" surveillance and response model has been incorporated into the organization's technical guidance.
She said stronger regulatory systems, reliable supply chains and sustainable regional manufacturing partnerships, including South-South cooperation, could help developing countries strengthen resilience and improve access to vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and other health technologies.
"No region should be at the back of the queue when the next crisis comes," she said.
Balkhy also highlighted lessons from health emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying that WHO responses in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and Afghanistan had reinforced the importance of preparedness, the protection of health workers and facilities, and the maintenance of essential public health services during crises.
Citing Gaza as an example, Balkhy said WHO worked with national authorities and partners to help vaccinate more than 600,000 children after the territory recorded its first paralytic polio case in 25 years in August 2024.
On pandemic preparedness, Balkhy said global health security should be built on strong national capacity backed by international solidarity.
She highlighted surveillance, laboratories, trained health workers, reliable supply chains and trusted relationships with communities as essential elements of preparedness, while stressing that equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments should be planned for before a crisis.
Meanwhile, Balkhy also warned that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a major global health threat.
She said antimicrobial misuse in both human and animal health, together with inadequate infection prevention, poor sanitation, overcrowding and conflict, is accelerating the spread of resistance.
"The gap now is not knowledge; it is implementation," she said, calling for properly funded national action plans covering surveillance, infection prevention and control, responsible antimicrobial use, and reliable access to diagnostics, medicines and new antibiotics.
Addressing broader challenges facing the organization, Balkhy, WHO director-general candidate nominated by Saudi Arabia, called for more predictable and flexible financing, a broader contributor base and clearer responsibilities across the organization's three levels, while stressing the need to protect its scientific independence.
She said the WHO must also demonstrate the importance of international cooperation at a time when multilateralism is under pressure. ■
