Donors making a difference: WHO strengthens the capacity of governments worldwide

WHO is dedicated to helping countries enhance their capabilities in core areas such as improving governmental public health functions and performance, with priority given to health protection and promotion and disease surveillance and prevention.

WHO also supports its Member States to build sustainable institutional capacity in health, to consolidate data and advance innovation.

This implies enhancing national health authorities' skills for systematic and transparent translation of evidence to inform policy and national decision-making.Importantly, WHO also works collaboratively to progressively strengthen capacities to manage health emergencies, at national and community levels.These stories from the field exemplify WHO's work to strengthen countries' abilities in a range of areas including: regulatory systems; innovation in data collection and use in policy decisions; responding to emergencies such as disease outbreaks; electronic medical records; dealing with trauma in humanitarian settings; women's leadership in emergencies; and strengthening health workers' skills and capabilities.A bright future for safe medicines in The GambiaChief Ebrima, his three wives, and children during the house-to-house recall of Paracetamol syrup and other drugs amidst the acute kidney injury (AKI) outbreak response, fostering community awareness and safety.

Photo by: WHO/Gambia Mr Monik BhattaFollowing the import of contaminated cough syrup which caused the death of 66 children, WHO and the Gambian Medicines Control Agency acted swiftly to alert the public, recall the medicine, and then overhaul its regulatory system.Robust healthcare regulation and meticulous scrutiny of every medical product entering Gambia is crucial for population's