Experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have accused the WHO of "washing its hands of older people" in its proposed priorities for future work.
In a letter published online in The Lancet, Prof. Peter Lloyd-Sherlock from UEA and co-authors Prof. Shah Ebrahim and Prof. Martin McKee, from the LSHTM say the draft WHO 13th General Programme of Work makes no reference to older people or to conditions associated with later life, such as dementia. The General Programme of Work sets out the strategic vision for the activities of the WHO after the current programme concludes at the end of 2019. The authors say omitting older people from the programme is “entirely unacceptable”. “If the proposed Programme is approved, it will considerably diminish WHO's global authority and will brand it as a champion of age discrimination.
"We therefore urge that WHO rectify this striking oversight and that the proposed programme include substantial plans relating to the health of older people and challenges of population ageing."
Prof. Lloyd-Sherlock, professor of social policy and international development at UEA's School of International Development, said, "the move is part of a wider pattern of explicit discrimination against older people in global health policy."
Last November the draft 13th General Programme of Work was considered by the WHO's Executive Board. This month the Executive Board will further consider the document. The programme is expected to be submitted to the World Health Assembly, which takes place in May.
