Francesco Zambon, author of the report on Italy’s first response to the Covid pandemic, intervenes on the case of Italy’s pandemic plan and the WHO.
“The point is no longer the withdrawn report of the ‘donkeys’ of Venice. I would like it to be clear. I say this constructively: I believe that the World Health Organization should not lose this opportunity to improve itself as an organization of which the world needs. Enough back and forth, enough unfounded statements about inaccuracies and inconsistencies of a report that had been fully approved, and the judiciary says so too. This is not the point: WHO should look inside to improve its independence “, says the researcher, in the spotlight since his fate was intertwined with the investigation opened by the Bergamo prosecutor.
Zambon resigned from the WHO Venice regional office and at time.news Salute he commented on the words released today by a WHO spokesperson on the issue of the report and on the role of director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The WHO, observes Zambon, “should change record, stop wanting to reduce the problem to what happened between two people, between me and Ranieri Guerra. The problem is supranational, it is the dynamics of power between WHO and member states, it is necessary to reflect whether a report must be revised because it is inconvenient for a government, also in light of what is happening now with China. Without controversy, the WHO should answer these questions, go to the root of the problem, not find excuses, not cling to details that are immediately refutable “.
As for the latest news about the investigation, Zambon states: “I don’t know whether to be satisfied with what is emerging. The right word is: better if all this had never happened. If there hadn’t been any reason to open an investigation , if the report had been published without any of these problems. I was not aware of the messages and everything that transpired even when I resigned, and thank goodness I gave them in light of this. But it’s not a problem of Italy or of the single country. Now the WHO responds on the lack of transparency and independence, on the failure of internal control mechanisms. But I am not saying this in a negative way: take the opportunity not to evade the problems “.
“The pandemic plan has never been updated and is now well established. But those were only a few lines in a 102 page report. And I’m sorry – he continues – because they weren’t even particularly critical of the Italian government, they gave prestige to the Italian government. Italy. It is a pity that everything was thrown away for the personal interests of several people. Because at this point it is clear that there were many interested in ensuring that the report, as the head of the cabinet of Speranza says, was killed “.
“What will I do now? I resigned” from the WHO office “because it was no longer possible to stay in an environment in which I was now isolated and I felt so much hostility. But I hope my experience will be useful. Now I calmly evaluate a couple of proposals of work that I have received and in the meantime I am writing a book. It will come out on May 13. Just the same date our report was withdrawn “, he concludes.