Norad’s US$ 3 million boost to WHO emergency care programme set to save thousands of lives

A major new investment from the Norwegian Agency for International Development (Norad) is set to accelerate life-saving emergency care across Africa, as WHO scales up its proven Basic Emergency Care (BEC) programme.

Announced at a World Health Assembly side event on scaling Integrated Emergency, Critical and Operative Care, Norad's US$ 3 million contribution will expand WHO's Acute Care Transformation through BEC (ACTxBEC) initiative - equipping first-contact health workers with the skills needed to act quickly and effectively in life-threatening situations.

Turning training into survival

At the heart of the initiative is a simple but transformative idea: equip first-contact health workers with practical, structured approaches to emergencies.

The BEC programme, developed by WHO with partners, trains nurses, doctors, clinical officers and ambulance providers to manage time-critical conditions such as injury, sepsis, diabetic emergencies and complications in pregnancy.

Unlike highly specialized interventions, BEC focuses on early recognition and rapid response - the moments that often determine whether a patient lives or dies.

Proven results in real-world settings

The programme's impact is already well documented. Across more than 100 countries, BEC has demonstrated strong results, even in resource-limited environments.

Multiple studies in Liberia, Nepal, Uganda and Zambia have demonstrated a 34-50% mortality reduction in first-level hospitals after BEC training was introduced - a striking outcome achieved in everyday clinical settings.

These results highlight the programme's scalability and effectiveness, particularly in systems where resources are constrained but the burden of emergency conditions is high.

A catalyst for broader transformation

Norad's contribution comes at a pivotal moment for WHO's Acute Care Transformation initiative, which aims to raise US$ 25 million to expand BEC to 1000 health facilities and save an estimated 50 000 lives annually.

The initiative is supported by the WHO Foundation's Lifeline Fund, which now totals US$ 18.5 million, including an initial US$12.5 million commitment from Laerdal Global Health, US$ 3 million from the AKO Foundation, and a further US$ 3 million commitment by NORAD, while continuing to mobilize additional partners.

A step closer to universal health coverage

Ultimately, the expansion of BEC supports a broader global goal: universal health coverage (UHC).

Without effective emergency care, health systems cannot guarantee access to essential, life-saving services. By investing in frontline capacity, WHO and its partners are closing a critical gap - ensuring that timely care is not a privilege, but a standard.