Reductions in health spending have long been regarded as potentially catastrophic for the well-being of millions worldwide—particularly in low- and lower-middle-income countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning following reports of disruptions to health services in 70% of its surveyed country offices. These disruptions stem from sudden suspensions and reductions in official development assistance (ODA) for health.
The findings, based on a rapid WHO assessment conducted in response to the evolving situation, raise serious concerns about potentially deeper and more prolonged impacts on global health systems—especially in vulnerable and fragile contexts. The report underscores the need for urgent international action and coordinated response efforts.
A new rapid stocktake conducted between March and April 2025, involving 108 WHO country offices (primarily in low- and lower-middle-income countries), indicates that many nations are striving to compensate for funding gaps by reallocating domestic resources or securing alternative external support.
However, up to 24% of country office responses indicate that budget cuts are already leading to increased out-of-pocket health expenditures. This development disproportionately affects the poor and vulnerable, who are likely to bear the brunt of these changes.
“These results paint a worrying picture of the impact of sudden and unplanned aid cuts on the health of millions,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Although these cuts are deeply concerning, they are also accelerating a transition from aid dependency toward more sustainable, domestically driven health financing. Many countries have requested WHO’s support, and we are actively working with them to identify and implement the most effective solutions.”
The stocktake offers an early snapshot and valuable insights from WHO country offices that work closely with ministries of health, providing regular support for health system policies and planning. Its goal was to identify the urgent support countries require to prevent catastrophic health outcomes and to help monitor the rapidly changing landscape.
Key Findings:
Suspensions and reductions in ODA are affecting all components of health systems. The most commonly reported impacts are on health emergency preparedness and response (70%), public health surveillance (66%), service provision (58%), humanitarian aid (56%), and the health and care workforce (54%).
Health services are facing broad disruptions in at least one-third of the countries surveyed. Significant interruptions have been reported in areas such as outbreak detection and response, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, family planning, and maternal and child health services.
In some settings, the scale and severity of these service disruptions are comparable to those experienced during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One-third of responding countries report critical shortages of medicines and health products, compromising service delivery in major areas of care.
The halt in ODA funding has resulted in job losses for health and care workers in over half of the surveyed countries, along with significant disruptions to training programs.
Information systems have been particularly affected, with over 40% of countries experiencing disruptions to critical health data collection. This includes collaborative surveillance and emergency systems, health management information systems, disease-specific reporting systems, laboratory information systems, and household or population surveys.
A total of 81 WHO country offices have expressed the need for support across a broad range of health areas, including innovative financing mechanisms, resource mobilization, and targeted technical assistance.
Given the volatile nature of the current situation, WHO will continue to monitor developments and work closely with the global health community—including partners and donor agencies—to inform urgent response plans, mitigate deepening country-level impacts, and promote sustainable health systems.
