The Lancet  
Jan 28, 2012  Volume 379  Number 9813  p287 – 384  e20 – 26
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Correspondence
Action to preserve WHO’s core functions cannot wait for organisational reform
Mohga M Kamal-Yanni

Preview
While WHO undergoes a wide-ranging reform sparked by a US$300 million budget shortfall, the agency is facing an exodus of qualified staff that is affecting its ability to work.1 The Executive Board is due to meet on Jan 16 to agree long-term principles and priorities for the organisation; it must ensure, in particular, that core functions are accorded the priority they merit. Oxfam is especially concerned that inadequate funding will severely diminish the WHO Essential Medicines Department, which for more than three decades has had an indispensable role in enabling developing countries to access affordable medicines.