The World Health Organization (WHO) issued fresh recommendations on Tuesday for countries on how to deal with the immediate and long-term consequences of abrupt, significant cuts to external financing, which are interrupting the delivery of key health services in many countries.
The new guidance, titled “Responding to the Health Financing Emergency: Immediate Measures and Longer-Term Shifts,” offers a range of policy options for countries to address sudden financing shocks while also bolstering efforts to mobilize and implement adequate, sustainable financing for national health systems.
External health aid is projected to drop by 30-40 percent in 2025 compared with 2023, causing immediate and severe disruption to health services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
WHO survey data from 108 LMICs collected in March 2025 indicate that funding cuts have reduced critical services – including maternal care, vaccination, health emergency preparedness and response, and disease surveillance – by up to 70% in some countries. More than 50 countries have reported job losses among health and care workers, along with major disruptions to health worker training programmes.
