WHO Issues Urgent Guidance Amidst Drastic Global Health Funding Cuts

The World Health Organization (WHO) has today, November 3, 2025, released critical new guidance for countries grappling with severe reductions in external health funding. This urgent directive aims to help low- and middle-income nations counter the immediate and long-term effects of these significant financial setbacks, as reported by the WHO.

External aid for health is projected to plummet by an alarming 30% to 40% in 2025 compared to 2023 levels, according to the WHO. This drastic decrease is already causing widespread disruption to essential health services across numerous low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), as highlighted by UN News.

The newly issued guidance, titled "Responding to the health financing emergency: immediate measures and longer-term shifts," provides a suite of policy options. It is designed to assist nations in mobilizing sustainable domestic financing and transitioning away from a heavy reliance on foreign aid, a key objective stated by who Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Survey data collected by the WHO in March 2025 from 108 LMICs reveals the dire consequences of these cuts. Critical services such as maternal care, vaccination programs, health emergency preparedness, and disease surveillance have been reduced by up to 70% in some regions, according to The New Indian Express.

More than 50 countries have also reported significant job losses among health and care workers, alongside major disruptions to vital health worker training programs. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that these "sudden and unplanned cuts" are costing lives and jeopardizing hard-won health gains.

The global health body stressed that these funding cuts exacerbate years of persistent health financing challenges for many nations. These include rising debt burdens, inflation, economic uncertainty, and systemic budget underfunding, as noted by Anadolu Agency.

Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou, WHO Director for Health Financing and Economics, warned earlier this year that the world is facing a "health financing emergency". She highlighted that wealthier nations are making deep spending cuts, impacting both international aid and national health systems.

• Background to the Crisis: The current funding shortfall is not an isolated event but rather a culmination of persistent challenges in global health financing. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) reported that development assistance for health (DAH) declined by 21% between 2024 and 2025, reaching its lowest level in 15 years at $39.1 billion. This follows a peak in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when DAH reached $80.3 billion, as detailed by Sara (Meg) Davis.

• Major Donor Reductions: A primary driver of these cuts is a significant reduction in funding from major donor countries. The United States, historically the largest funder, is responsible for a 67% drop, amounting to over $9 billion in 2025. Other significant cuts include the UK (39% decline), France (33% decline), and Germany (12% decline), according to IHME data cited by Devpolicy Blog.

• Impact on Essential Services: The severe cuts directly threaten a range of critical health services. Beyond maternal care and vaccinations, the WHO's survey data indicated disruptions in health emergency preparedness, disease surveillance, and access to essential medicines. These reductions are particularly acute in sub-Saharan Africa, where many countries are highly dependent on external aid.

• WHO's Strategic Recommendations: The guidance, "Responding to the health financing emergency," urges policymakers to prioritize health in government budgets, viewing it as an investment rather than merely a cost. Key policy recommendations include protecting health budgets, improving efficiency through better procurement, integrating externally-funded services into comprehensive primary health care models, and using health technology assessments to prioritize high-impact services.

• Transitioning from Aid Dependency: A core theme of the WHO's guidance is to empower countries to transition towards sustainable self-reliance. This involves boosting domestic resource mobilization, which can include expanding social health insurance plans, strengthening public-private partnerships, and imposing taxes on harmful commodities, as suggested by a scoping review on sustainable health financing.

• Economic and Social Implications: The funding cuts exacerbate existing financial strains in LMICs, including high out-of-pocket spending and rising debt burdens, which can divert resources from health. The crisis risks increasing health inequities, with IHME forecasting that health spending in high-income countries will be 299 times greater than in low-income countries in 2025.

• Examples of National Action: Despite the grim outlook, some countries are proactively addressing the challenge. The WHO noted that nations like Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda have already taken steps to boost their health budgets and reform financing systems. Nigeria, for instance, approved an additional $200 million for its health sector in February, as reported by Allison Krugman.

• Call for Global Solidarity: The WHO emphasizes that health systems are foundational for resilient societies and calls for continued global solidarity. The organization plans to provide ongoing technical assistance, policy advice, and data analysis, including through a new UHC Knowledge Hub in collaboration with the Government of Japan and the World Bank, set to launch in December 2025.