Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh states that there is an urgent need to revive and adapt frontline services and health workers to meet today's needs in order to accelerate public health gains.
World Health Organization has emphasized the critical need for countries in the South-East Asia Region to strengthen primary health care including the skills of frontline health workers and enhance monitoring of health services coverage and financial protection as they strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of health and wellbeing for all.
Speaking during one of the sessions, WHO SEA Regional Director, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh stated that there is an urgent need to revive and adapt frontline services and health workers to meet today's needs. She said that through this, countries can accelerate public health gains by reducing maternal and child mortality and strengthening health security. She added that they can also tackle looming challenges such as the increased burden of non-communicable diseases.
Dr. Khetrapal Singh noted that though efforts across the region have been commendable, countries must strengthen their delivery of patient-centered, integrated care to drive further gains and ensure no one is left behind. Despite progress, gaps in health services coverage in the Region continue to exist.
At least 130 million people still lack access to one or more of seven essential health services, with access to care worse for the poor, those with less education and, to a lesser degree, those living in rural areas. Speaking further on the matter, the regional director noted that enhancing the skills of health staff is an important means for countries to strengthen primary health care and ensure essential services are available. She said this can be done through ongoing training initiatives that equip health workers and health teams with the skills needed to address a range of health issues, including identification and care of chronic conditions. She further stated that equally important are efforts to increase health worker retention, particularly in rural areas.
Dr. Khetrapal Singh also noted the need to establish sustainable financing for frontline services, saying an important way for countries to strengthen primary health services is to ensure they are equitably and efficiently financed. The regional director emphasized that as service delivery models change it is essential that both prevention and treatment receive adequate resources and funding. She added that, strategies must be linked to resource flows so that communities can rely on frontline services for a range of health issues.
As countries strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of health and wellbeing for all, the development of country-specific targets and implementation of effective monitoring systems is vital. Almost all countries have now developed their own targets, while all of them have measured and reported progress using two indicators one tracking health services coverage; the other tracking financial risk protection. Dr Khetrapal Singh said that countries in the Region are taking the steps needed to set and achieve their goals, including by monitoring progress. She said that better national health data including input from both public and private facilities and more in-depth analyses will provide the insight needed to act as efficiently as possible.
The Regional Director expressed WHO's commitment to produce an annual report on progress towards universal health coverage and the health-related SDGs, which is a key agenda item at the Seventieth session of the Regional Committee currently being held in Maldives. The Regional Committee is the highest decision-making body for public health in the South-East Asia Region, and includes health ministers and senior health ministry officials of the Region's 11 Member countries; Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.