UK Government Cuts Funding to Key Global Health Programme. City, Country — London, United Kingdom — March 12, 2026 The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has announced the closure of the Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP), a project that supported healthcare staff development in six African countries.
The decision to axe the programme, which has been in operation since 2008, has sparked concerns about the UK’s commitment to global health and pandemic preparedness.
The GHWP was instrumental in enhancing national health systems in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Somaliland. It aimed to strengthen healthcare capacities and meet the UK’s moral obligations to invest in countries that contribute to its healthcare workforce.
According to Ben Simms, chief executive of Global Health Partnerships, which ran the programme, the UK risks losing significant ground in global health. “.
That is a genuinely historic decision, and the UK now risks ceding ground in global health that we will struggle to recover, “Simms.
The programme was previously praised by UK ministers and officials as a critical step in boosting global pandemic preparedness.
In 2023, then-Health Minister Will Quince highlighted the programme’s role in strengthening health systems and reducing health inequalities.
However, the Labour government’s decision to reduce overseas aid funding from 0. 5% to 0. 3% of GDP has led to the cuts.
This reduction follows a previous cut under Boris Johnson’s premiership, which saw overseas aid funding drop from 0. 7% of GDP. FCDO Minister Chris Elmore said the government remains committed to international development but must focus on greater impact with limited resources. “.
The UK should be proud of the progress made in international development this century. But the world has changed, and so must we, “Elmore stated.
The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) recently reviewed the allocation of official development assistance budgets and found that the system was “not always based on shared strategic priorities or evidence of value for money.”Global Health Partnerships expressed concerns about the long-term consequences of the cuts. “We understand the fiscal pressures that the government faces, but we are clear that cutting investment in health workforce development in low- and middle-income countries has real human consequences – and ultimately costs more in the long run, “the organization.
Further details are expected regarding the sustainability of projects beyond the GHWP’s lifetime.
