Jens Spahn, Germany’s Federal Minister of Health, says that American President Donald Trump “has a point” in his criticisms of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO has come under fire from President Trump and others for its failures during the early weeks of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Spahn made the remarks in an interview he gave to the Financial Times. “[President Trump] does have a point — the WHO needs to reform its governance and accountability,” Spahn said. “We need to figure out exactly where the money goes.”
The WHO has been accused of repeating Chinese government propaganda during the early phase of the pandemic, such as its initial claim that the virus could not be spread through person-to-person contact.
Many believe that this disinformation, which was designed to help China save face for its role in igniting the crisis, severely hindered and delayed the international response to the outbreak.
Nevertheless, Spahn urged the US not to consider leaving the organisation until after the pandemic has passed, in the hope that it can still be reformed. President Trump threatened to cut off US funding for the institution last week, as previously reported by Voice of Europe.