AFP
Geneva


The World Health Organisation said yesterday it will study the idea of using sanctions to punish countries that do not comply with global health regulations, following widespread failures in the response to the Ebola outbreak.
The WHO has created a committee to review the fiercely-criticised global reaction to the Ebola epidemic, including why so many countries seemingly disregarded the International Health Regulations (IHR) agreed a decade ago by 194 member-states.  
The head of the committee, Didier Houssin, said lack of awareness about the rules and a lack of capacity in health systems - especially among the low-income west African nations hit hardest by Ebola - could be partly to blame.
But, he told journalists, WHO also intends to study whether a tough penalty system could lead to better compliance when the next serious outbreak emerges.
Houssin said his committee has asked the WHO secretariat to advise on what “methods of compliance can be used with international law.”
When it comes to “weapons and nuclear activities... there are sanctions controls, inspections,” he said.
“With international health regulations, there (are) no sanctions, but we observe that there is not good compliance,” he further said.
Houssin noted that he was not convinced a penalty system was appropriate in the health sector, but said his committee was going to explore the question closely in the wake of Ebola epidemic.