US, Argentina launch 'alternative' international health system to WHO

The US and Argentina said Tuesday they are launching an "alternative" international health system separate from the World Health Organization (WHO).

"The WHO's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious structural and operational shortcomings that undermined global trust and highlighted the urgent need for independent, science-based leadership in global health," US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Argentine Minister of Health Mario Lugones said in a statement.

After returning to the Oval Office in January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the WHO. In February, Argentinian President Javier Milei followed.

"There are well-documented concerns regarding the early management of the pandemic and the risks associated with certain types of research. Rather than ensuring timely transparency, the WHO failed to provide critical access to information, impairing countries' ability to act swiftly and effectively, with devastating global consequences," Kennedy and Lugones said in a statement.

Separately, Kennedy said he had a "wonderful meeting" with Milei.

Kennedy wrote on X that they discussed the mutual withdrawal from the WHO and "the creation of an alternative international health system based on gold-standard science and free from totalitarian impulses, corruption, and political control."