The World Health Organization isn't well prepared to combat global health emergencies, an independent panel has concluded. The report comes following a series of highly-criticized actions during a recent outbreak of Ebola.

Officials at the organization welcomed the report, which concluded that WHO must re-establish itself as a "guardian of public health." To do so will require member nations to supply the organization with significant political and financial support, the panel concluded.

More than 27,500 people were affected by the recent outbreak of Ebola, which was concentrated in West Africa, and roughly 11,000 died of the disease. In January 2015, WHO member states passed a resolution calling for the appointment of a special commission to review actions by the public health organization.

The Report of the Ebola Interim Assessment Panel concluded that the epidemic of Ebola demonstrated internal failings of the international organization, as well as shortcomings in the 2005 International Health Regulations.

"If the world is to successfully manage the health threats, especially infectious diseases that can affect us all, then the Regulations need to be strengthened. Had the recommendations for revision made in 2011 by the Review Committee in relation to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 been implemented, the global community would have been in a far better position to face the Ebola crisis," the panel stated in its report.

Officials at WHO were too slow to begin fighting Ebola, which went on to cause havoc across large areas of western Africa. The organization has already admitted it took too long to declare the epidemic an emergency requiring an international response. Although the epidemic began in December 2013, the health organization did not call for a massive response until August 2014, following the deaths of more than 1,000 people from the disease.

"There seems to have been a hope that the crisis could be managed by good diplomacy rather than by scaling up emergency action," the report stated.

The panel stated its belief that WHO should remain at the head of the global battle against infectious disease. However, to do so effectively will require significant changes within the organization, the panel concluded.

Less than 25 per cent of WHO's program budget comes from assessed contributions, with the remainder coming from voluntary funds, the panel noted, and "there are no core funds for emergency response," it said. It recommends that members increase assessed contributions by 5 percent.

The World Health Organization was founded on April 7, 1948, as a branch of the United Nations. This group of researchers aimed at reducing disease worldwide was preceded by the Health Organization, which was part of the League of Nations. The current budget for WHO stands at around $4 billion dollars each year, roughly three-quarters of which comes from private donations.

The Report of the Ebola Interim Assessment Panel is available on the World Health Organization website.

Photo: United States Mission Geneva | Flickr