What will be the impact of America's withdrawal from WHO, who funds it, and which services might be disrupted?

Donald Trump made several decisions as soon as he took over as the US President, including pulling out the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). Pulling out the US from the WHO can endanger public health not only in the US but globally as well. Trump has cited WHO's inability to handle COVID-19 properly as the reason behind his decision.
The US withdrawal from funding could have a major impact on developing countries in the event of a future disaster, especially those countries whose health systems are dependent on WHO's help. The US is the largest donor to the organization, giving about 22.5 percent of the WHO's mandatory funds and for the voluntary funds, the US's total funds in 2023 were about 13 percent. In the year 2022-23, the US donated the highest amount of $1284 million to WHO.
In an interview with CNN on Monday, former White House COVID-19 response coordinator during the Biden administration, MD Ashish Jha called Trump's decision a 'strategic mistake'. Jha said in the interview, "WHO is a very important organization and America's withdrawal will create a political vacuum, which can only be filled by one country - and that is China."
WHO comments on United States announcement of intent to withdraw
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 21, 2025
The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization.
WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s… pic.twitter.com/DT3QJ49bhb
One argument made by those supporting the fund cut is that despite its large population, China donates much less to the WHO than the US. The executive order states, "WHO is demanding an unreasonably high amount of funds from the US, which is far more than the proportion of funds allocated to other countries."
Along with giving the maximum funds, America also kept an eye on how WHO was using the funds. If other countries fill this gap after America, then WHO can complete its mission more quickly.
WHO's response to Trump's decision
After this decision of Donald Trump, WHO has expressed regret by issuing a statement. WHO said in its statement, "WHO plays an important role in protecting the health and safety of the people of the world including Americans. WHO deals with the root causes of disease, epidemic and health emergency by building a strong health structure and detecting them. It also works in places where other people cannot go." WHO has demanded that America reconsider its decision.
What will be the impact of America's withdrawal on WHO?
At first glance, the withdrawal of the biggest donor may have a big impact on WHO, but many experts believe that another country can easily replace the US. Former Secretary of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare CK Mishra said in a media interview, "The withdrawal of the US will not have much impact on WHO, but when multilateral organizations start disintegrating, it will definitely not be good for global cooperation. This also means that the next biggest donor will fill this gap."
It is not a big deal for countries like BRICS to increase the donation amount if they value the work of WHO. However, till now the top donors to WHO are only western countries like Germany, Japan, Australia, UK.
If a large part of the funding to WHO ends, its work in countries like India can be affected. WHO helps the Indian government in many health programs, such as fighting diseases like malaria, TB and HIV and tackling problems like antibiotic resistance. It also has an important role in India's vaccination program. WHO checks how well vaccines are being given to people.
Experts believe that if WHO faces funding cuts, it will struggle to carry out these vital health programmes effectively.