GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2021) France will disburse 120 million Euros ($140 million) to the World Health Organization (WHO) Academy in Lyon, which is to open its doors in 2024, Minister of Health Olivier Veran said on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and French President Emmanuel Macron attended a ceremony to mark the start of the WHO Academy's construction in Lyon.
"France is allocating 120 million euros ($140 million) to fund the WHO Academy for five years. This is a collective contribution from the metropolis (of Lyon), the Rhone-Alpes and Lyon regions," Veran told a press conference in Lyon.
The academy is expected to provide training and professional development for medical personnel and hospital management to accelerate the introduction of new scientific discoveries and technology in the medical field.
"Delighted to be in Lyon, today for the #WHOAcademy groundbreaking ceremony. I especially thank President Emmanuel Macron, for his commitment and support for the Academy, but also for WHO and global health, especially during the #COVID19 pandemic," Tedros wrote on Twitter.
Upon opening in 2024, the academy will offer multilingual, personalized, digital, face-to-face and blended learning programs, leveraging the latest evidence-based healthcare guidelines, cutting-edge learning technology and advances in science. The academy will also have an emergency simulation center where health workers can train their response skills in a variety of situations, including during disease outbreaks.
The WHO Academy project was launched in Geneva by Macron and Tedros in June 2019.
In January 2020, France and the WHO signed a new Framework Agreement for the period 2020-2025, confirming France's role as a key actor in global health and the lead investor in the academy's development.
