So much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) has sent out an SOS for the world.

Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest hospital, has stopped functioning and hundreds of patients remain trapped, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated.

Out of 36 hospitals in the blockaded Palestinian territory, 20 are no longer functioning, added WHO.

“The WHO has managed to get in touch with health professionals at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza… the hospital is not functioning as a hospital anymore… The world cannot stand silent while hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation, and despair,” said Tedros.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an all-out operation on Gaza after Palestine militant organisation Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Even as there are ceasefire calls from different quarters on humanitarian grounds, Israel has remained defiant and continue to blockade hospitals, thereby denying care and treatment to those inside.

At least two newborns died in hospitals and more are at risk due to power outages, Reuters reported citing medical staff.

Israel has alleged that hospitals in Gaza are being used by Hamas for their operations.

WHO chief also praised India for their steps in advancing Universal Health Coverage.

“I commend India for their steps in advancing Universal Health Coverage and the Ayushman Bharat scheme which is the world ‘s largest health assurance initiative,” the WHO chief said, according to the news agency ANI. He also recalled his visit to a Health and Wellness Centre and lauded the services being provided there. “I visited a Health and Wellness Centre here in Gandhinagar and was impressed by the primary healthcare services being provided to 1000 households by the HWC,” he added.

He also hailed the telemedicine facilities provided in Gujarat and thanked India’s G20 Presidency for the Global Digital Health Initiative to be launched on Saturday. “I commend the telemedicine services being provided here, which provide prescriptions and treatment locally. It is an excellent example of transforming healthcare. I also thank India G20 Presidency for taking leadership in the Global Digital Health Initiative which will be launched tomorrow,” Dr Tedros said.

More than 70 delegates from different countries are participating in the G20 Health Ministers’ meeting and side event in Gandhinagar.

The three-day G20 Health Ministers’ meeting under G20 India Presidency will culminate on August 19. More than 70 delegates from different countries are participating in the G20 Health Ministers’ meeting and side events. ”

The assessment of the health impacts of the non-sugar sweetener aspartame were released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). 

Citing “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans, IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans and JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg per kg body weight.

“Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Every year, 1 in 6 people die from cancer. Science is continuously expanding to assess the possible initiating or facilitating factors of cancer, in the hope of reducing these numbers and the human toll,” said Dr Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO. 

“The assessments of aspartame have indicated that, while safety is not a major concern at the doses which are commonly used, potential effects have been described that need to be investigated by more and better studies,” Branca added.

Aspartame is an artificial (chemical) sweetener widely used in various food and beverage products since the 1980s, including diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, dairy products such as yogurt, breakfast cereal, toothpaste and medications such as cough drops and chewable vitamins.

The two bodies conducted independent but complementary reviews to assess the potential carcinogenic hazard and other health risks associated with aspartame consumption.

IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans on the basis of limited evidence for cancer in humans (specifically, for hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a type of liver cancer). 

There was also limited evidence for cancer in experimental animals and limited evidence related to the possible mechanisms for causing cancer, the WHO said in a statement.

JECFA concluded that the data evaluated indicated no sufficient reason to change the previously established acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0–40 mg per kg body weight for aspartame. 

The committee, therefore, reaffirmed that it is safe for a person to consume within this limit per day. 

“For example, with a can of diet soft drink containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, an adult weighing 70kg would need to consume more than 9–14 cans per day to exceed the acceptable daily intake, assuming no other intake from other food sources,” according to the WHO.

“The findings of limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and animals, and of limited mechanistic evidence on how carcinogenicity may occur, underscore the need for more research to refine our understanding on whether consumption of aspartame poses a carcinogenic hazard,” said Dr Mary Schubauer-Berigan of the IARC Monographs programme.

IARC and WHO will continue to monitor new evidence and encourage independent research groups to develop further studies on the potential association between aspartame exposure and consumer health effects.