WHO mulls reforms to repair reputation after bungling Ebola

The World Health Organisation is debating how to reform itself after botching the response to the Ebola outbreak, a sluggish performance that experts say cost thousands of lives.
WHO's executive board is today discussing proposals that could radically transform the United Nations health agency in response to sharp criticism over its handling of the West Africa epidemic.
"The Ebola outbreak points to the need for urgent change," said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general. She acknowledged that WHO was too slow to grasp the significance of the Ebola outbreak, which is estimated to have killed more than 8,600 people, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Critics say the kinds of reform being debated are long overdue but express skepticism that WHO's practices and culture would significantly change.