“That's not to say the WHO isn't still hugely important. It has a monopoly on legitimacy, and is the normative body when it comes to health. That monopoly, for right now at least, just isn't being backed by dollar figures, and the organization is trying to find its way. Yet, as public expectations of the organization during the Ebola epidemic made clear, it's still the body the world looks to in times of global health crisis.
That disconnect between perception and reality is something the organization is now grappling with.
Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO director general, explained in an address at the World Health Assembly today that the arrival of Ebola forced the conversation about internal reform and the organization's role in the world.
"The Ebola outbreak shook this organization to its core," she said. "This was a defining moment for the work of WHO and an historic political moment for world leaders to give WHO new relevance and empower it to lead in global health." Whether the organization remains the leader in global health — with Gates and other players rising — remains to be seen.”
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