Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, says that the International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration brings to the fore the need to improve access to health services for women globally.
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Ghebreyesus, in a media briefing on COVID-19 on Friday, said that many women could not access essential health services, and continued to suffer disproportionately from preventable and treatable diseases globally.
He said that the IWD provides an opportunity to promote and protect the health of women, while highlighting the vital role they play in caring for the health of all people.
“Globally, women make up 70 per cent of the global health workforce, but hold only 25 per cent of senior roles.
“We are proud that we have achieved gender equality in our senior leadership team at WHO headquarters, although we know we still have work to do in other parts of the organisation,” he said.
Ghebreyesus noted that women are also playing a vital role in the global response to COVID-19, saying WHO is proud to have many amazing women leading its response to the epidemic.
He restated WHO’s commitment to promote gender equality everywhere, and especially in the health workforce.