Lula criticises Trump over WHO funding cuts during hospital visit
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has criticised US President Donald Trump for cutting funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as he defended Brazil's universal public healthcare system during a visit to the Federal Hospital of Andarai in Rio de Janeiro alongside WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Speaking during the visit, Lula urged Tedros to tell Trump that Brazil provides the same healthcare to every citizen as it does to the country's president.
"Tell him how a president of a country that is not as rich as the United States can guarantee every Brazilian citizen the same health treatment that the president of the Republic will receive," Lula said.
The United States formally left the WHO on 22nd January 2026, a year after Trump ordered the withdrawal on his first day back in office. The WHO said Washington halted its funding and left about $260 million in unpaid contributions, warning the move leaves "both the United States and the rest of the world in a less safe situation."
Lula also highlighted his government's healthcare policies and the expansion of public health services in Rio de Janeiro during the hospital visit.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
