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Criticising Republican lawmakers, Horton said, “Many Republican senators are fully aware of the critical importance of the World Health Organization (WHO), which makes it especially disappointing that more of them have not spoken up to defend America’s role in global health.”
With the US officially quitting the WHO, Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, has called the move a “self-inflicted problem for America”.
Horton told The Indian Express on Friday, “It will be a great loss, not just financially, but in terms of leadership, engagement, knowledge and technical expertise that the US has brought to global health.”
Criticising Republican lawmakers, Horton said, “Many Republican senators are fully aware of the critical importance of the World Health Organization (WHO), which makes it especially disappointing that more of them have not spoken up to defend America’s role in global health.”
Horton was in India for the launch of the Lancet Commission on a citizen-centred health system for the country.
In a statement on January 22, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of State announced the United States’ completion of its withdrawal from the WHO due to what they termed as the organisation’s mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states.
WHO’s inaugural chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan, even as she termed the US’s move “a big loss”, said that India, in particular, has the potential to play a larger role on the global stage. “Whether through training, capacity building, local manufacturing, or strengthening health research, India can offer more support to the WHO than it currently provides,” she told The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, admitting that global health financing was in crisis, Horton said, “WHO has struggled following the US setback and all this has triggered a recalibration phase — a broader global health reset. As a result, there will be greater reliance on domestic resource mobilisation. Countries will need to invest independently in their own health systems rather than rely primarily on international funding. In many ways, this could be a positive development.”
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On India, he said the country has made tremendous progress toward its goal of Universal Health Coverage by 2047, particularly over the past two decades. “However, several critical gaps remain and India must focus not only on expanding access to healthcare, but also on improving the quality of care. While out-of-pocket health expenditure remains a major challenge, there is a strong need for better alignment between the public and private health sectors. As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India has the capacity to invest more in health and there is clear political commitment to do so,” he told The Indian Express.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More
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