WHO is forced to make massive cuts in employees and departments

The World Health Organization (WHO) is forced to reduce the number of its staff and reduce the number of departments from 76 to 34 due to lack of funding. This was announced on May 19 by WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the opening of the 78th session of the General Assembly of Health.

"As a result of the prioritization, a new streamlined headquarters structure was developed, as a result of which the number of executive management was reduced from 14 to seven people, and the number of departments from 76 to 34," he said in a speech that was broadcast on the WHO website.

According to him, WHO will face a budget deficit of $500 million in the next two years. The head of the organization noted that due to the termination of funding from the United States, in at least 70 countries, patients are skipping treatment, medical institutions are closing, health workers are losing their jobs, and people are facing increased health care costs.

"The Secretariat has taken a number of measures to reduce the cost of travel, procurement, recruitment, early retirement and more. These measures have helped to close the gap, but nevertheless, we have no alternative but to reduce the number of our employees," Ghebreyesus added.

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On May 1, WHO Assistant Director General for Administrative and Financial Support, Raul Thomas, announced that the organization would not be able to pay employees 25% of salaries in 2026 and 2027 due to the termination of American funding. According to him, WHO does not yet know how many employees it will have to cut.

Earlier, on January 20, US President Donald Trump signed a decree on the withdrawal of the United States from WHO. He argued that the population of China exceeds the number of people living in America, but despite this, China transfers many times less funds to WHO. Therefore, according to him, it was decided to leave the organization.

After that, the media reported on the suspension of WHO recruitment of new employees. Travel expenses for employees have also been significantly reduced. Other measures include restrictions on the replacement of electronic equipment, the renegotiation of major contracts, and the suspension of office repairs and capital investments.