World Health Organization, South East Asia Regional Committee, concludes in the Maldives. The five day meeting was held in Paradise Island Resort, with the aim of bringing regional health officials to discuss health related predicaments faced in the region.
WHO regional committees meet each year to set policies and approve budgets and programmes of work for each of the six WHO regions. The meeting of the South East Asia Regional Committee was held in Maldives from September 6-10 at Paradise Island Resort.
The meeting focused on bringing together health ministers, health workers and officials under one roof to discuss and deliberate on key issues concerning the 11 regional countries and to determine ways to tackle the said issues. This year's meeting so major focus given to the achievements Maldivian health sector has gained throughout the years.
This includes WHO SEARO office conferring Maldives with measles elimination awards and also conferring the Health Ministry with Excellence in Public Health Award for its dedication to further strengthen the public health sector of Maldives. The meeting also saw deliberations on health achievements made by the South East Asia region, as well as discussed ways to overcome predicaments facing the health sector of the region.
Policy and budgetary discussions relating to the region was also held during the committee meeting. During the committee in recognition of the immense and increasing public health risks caused by climate change, Member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region unanimously endorsed the Male Declaration, committing to build health systems able to anticipate, respond to, cope with, recover from and adapt to climate-related shocks and stress.
Key issues discussed and deliberated at the 70th South East Asia Committee were building health systems resilience to climate change, special session on eliminating Hepatitis from WHO South-East Asia Region given which saw a special statement given by WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Hepatitis in the Region, Amitabh Bachchan, via conference call. It also discussed ways to achieve SDG vision, revive and adapt primary health care services and monitor access inequalities, urged regional countries to take bold, co-operative action to make medicines available to all and called to take urgent action on road safety; prevent road injury, death across South-East Asia Region.
One of the last main items on agenda at the regional committee was related to align national TB strategies with commitment to end TB by 2030. Speaking to media after concluding the committee, Regional Director of WHO for South East Asia Region, Dr. Poonam Kethrapal Singh stated that the 70th regional committee in Maldives was a huge success. She said that all regional members were extremely involved in the discussion and dedicated to finding practical solutions to health issues faced in the region. She noted that building health systems resilience to climate change was high on agenda at the committee.
The 71st WHO South East Asia Regional Committee is scheduled to be held in New Delhi, India in September 2018.