Health
MASSIVE LAYOFFS AND RESTRUCTURING AT U.S. HEALTH DEPARTMENT SPARK OUTCRY OVER PUBLIC HEALTH RISKS
Employees across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began receiving dismissal notices Tuesday as part of a sweeping overhaul expected to eliminate up to 10,000 jobs, days after President Donald Trump revoked collective bargaining rights for workers at HHS and other federal agencies. The cuts coincide with the first day of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where four institute directors were placed on administrative leave and nearly all communications staff were terminated, according to an anonymous senior agency leader.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled the restructuring plan last week, aiming to consolidate agencies managing addiction services and community health funding under a new office, the Administration for a Healthy America. The layoffs and voluntary departures will reduce HHS staffing from 82,000 to 62,000—a 24% reduction. Kennedy criticized the department as a “sprawling bureaucracy” with a $1.7 trillion annual budget that “has failed to improve the health of Americans,” vowing in a Thursday video to “do more with less.”
Specific cuts include 3,500 positions at the Food and Drug Administration, 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,200 at NIH, and 300 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. An email obtained by The Associated Press revealed senior NIH employees in Bethesda, Maryland, were offered transfers to the Indian Health Service in Alaska and given until Wednesday to respond.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington warned the cuts would endanger lives during disease outbreaks or disasters. “They may as well be renaming it the Department of Disease because their plan is putting lives in serious jeopardy,” she said Friday. The layoffs follow HHS’s withdrawal of $11 billion in COVID-19 funds, forcing state and local health departments to slash hundreds of jobs, according to Lori Tremmel Freeman of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
Union representatives confirmed 8,000–10,000 terminations targeting roles in HR, procurement, finance, IT, and “high cost regions.” Trump’s Thursday executive order eliminating collective bargaining rights for many federal workers drew sharp rebukes. Reps. Gerald Connolly and Bobby Scott (D-VA) called the move a “brazen attempt to strip protections” that would “give Elon Musk more power to dismantle the people’s government with as little resistance as possible.”
CDC employees in Atlanta had recently unionized, with 2,000 joining the American Federation of Government Employees and hundreds more pending. The administration’s restructuring has intensified fears over the government’s capacity to address health crises, with critics arguing the cuts undermine critical services during ongoing measles outbreaks and pandemic recovery efforts.
Jehovah’s Witnesses has updated its long standing policy on blood transfusions, now allowing members to have their own blood removed, stored, and later returned during medical procedures.
The adjustment means adherents can undergo planned surgeries involving the use of their own blood, but the group still prohibits receiving blood donated by others.
Gerrit Losch, a member of the movement’s leadership, announced the change, stating that each individual Christian must decide how their blood is used in medical and surgical care.
Despite the revision, the organisation emphasized that its core belief on the sanctity of blood remains unchanged. The doctrine is rooted in interpretations of biblical teachings, which followers say instruct believers to abstain from blood.
The development has drawn mixed reactions. Some former members argue the update does not go far enough, particularly in emergency situations where donated blood may be required to save lives.
In a recent legal case in Edinburgh, a court ruled that doctors could administer a blood transfusion to a 14 year old Jehovah’s Witness if necessary to preserve her life, despite her refusal on religious grounds. The judge held that such intervention would be in the child’s best interest.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, known globally for their door to door evangelism, number about nine million members worldwide, including roughly 144,000 in the United Kingdom.
Alberta has proposed new legislation to limit the use of medically assisted dying (MAID) strictly to patients at the end of life, marking the first time a Canadian province has independently sought to impose such restrictions.
Currently, Canada allows medically assisted dying for individuals with serious, incurable illnesses or disabilities, even if their death is not reasonably foreseeable. Federal law is also set to expand MAID eligibility next year to include those whose sole medical condition is mental illness, though implementation has already been delayed twice.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith emphasized that assisted dying should be reserved for those with no hope of recovery. “This legislation strengthens safeguards and restores clear limits on eligibility to protect vulnerable Albertans facing mental illness or living with disabilities,” she said. “Those struggling with severe mental health challenges need treatment, compassion and support, not a path to end their life at what may be their lowest moment.”
The proposed bill would prohibit doctors from initiating MAID discussions with patients and ban public advertising of the service in healthcare facilities. It would also formalize conscience protections for healthcare professionals and institutions.
Supporters of the legislation include Moira Wilson, president of Inclusion Canada, who said it “demonstrates that governments can strengthen laws and better protect people whose lives are not nearing an end,” and Mara Grunau, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Alberta division, who highlighted the importance of recovery from mental illness.
However, opponents, including Helen Long, CEO of Dying with Dignity Canada, argue the proposal undermines patient autonomy. Long described the legislation as “a direct attempt to circumvent the constitutional criminal law authority” and warned it could create additional barriers for suffering individuals wishing to exercise choice.
Medically assisted deaths currently account for roughly 5% of deaths in Canada, with the majority involving patients whose death was reasonably foreseeable. Alberta’s proposed law aims to ensure that vulnerable groups, particularly those with mental illnesses or disabilities, are offered support and care rather than premature death.
Canada is among a handful of countries that have introduced assisted dying laws in the past decade, including Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Austria.
A 22-year-old Nigerian international student, Rodiyat Alabede, has died after donating plasma at a clinic in Winnipeg, prompting an investigation by Health Canada.
According to a report by The New York Times, the federal health agency confirmed it is examining the deaths of two plasma donors at for-profit clinics in Winnipeg following fatal adverse reactions recorded in October 2025 and January 2026.
The clinics involved are operated by Grifols, a Spanish healthcare company that runs 17 plasma donation centres across Canada, including two in Winnipeg. Health Canada said it received mandatory reports from the facilities and subsequently sent inspectors to both locations to investigate the incidents.
Friends of the late student identified one of the deceased as Alabede, whose parents are from Nigeria and Ivory Coast. She was studying to become a social worker and was said to be active in the Muslim Nigerian community in Winnipeg.
The identity of the second donor has not been disclosed due to privacy laws.
Executive Director of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manitoba, Stephanie Holfeld, said Alabede became unresponsive during the plasma donation procedure and died shortly afterwards. However, she noted that the death has not yet been formally linked to the donation process as investigations are still ongoing.
“She had a motherly side to her, she was protective and sweet. She never gave up, even when things got difficult for her,” a friend, Chioma Ijoma, said in tribute.
In a statement, Grifols expressed condolences to the families of the deceased donors but stated that there was currently no evidence linking the deaths directly to plasma donation.
The company added that donors undergo extensive health screening before being approved and confirmed that both incidents were reported within the required 72-hour window. It also said an internal investigation had been launched.
Plasma donation involves drawing blood from a donor, separating the plasma, and returning the red blood cells to the body. The practice is common in Canada and the United States, where many students and low-income earners donate plasma to supplement their income.
Grifols advertises that regular donors can earn up to 6,000 Canadian dollars annually, equivalent to about $4,400 or roughly ₦7.2 million.