KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 3
The 75th Regional Committee Session of the World Health Organisation South- East Asia - the annual governing body meeting of WHO in this region - being hosted by Bhutan this year is set to be held in Paro of Bhutan from September 5 to 9.
Addressing mental health through primary care and community engagement, strengthening health emergency preparedness and response in view of the ongoing COV- ID-19 pandemic and emerging threats, and achieving universal health coverage and health security through stronger primary health care, among others, are key issues that the ministers of health, senior officials, and health partners will deliberate on a weeklong meeting starting from Monday.
The Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, officials from WHO headquarters, senior officials from health ministries of member countries, including Nepal, representatives of UN Agencies, partners, donors, and civil society, among others, will be participating in the meeting.
Monitoring progress and accelerated plan for non-communicable diseases, progress towards meeting the End TB goal, accelerating elimination of cervical cancer, and strengthening health workforce education and training are among other key issues to be undertaken at the Regional Committee Session, the highest decision making body of the WHO in the region.
According to a press release by WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, the progress made on the resolutions adopted at previous Regional Committee sessions will be reviewed, including regional plan of action for healthy environment for healthier populations, strategic plan to address the double burden of malnutrition, ending preventable maternal, newborn and child mortality, elimination of measles and rubella by 2023, and strengthening emergency medical teams.
Home to one-fourth of the global population, the region has been focusing efforts around eight regional flagship priorities since 2014 in a bid to eliminate measles and rubella by 2023, address non-communicable diseases through multi-sectoral policies and plans, accelerate reduction of maternal, neonatal and under-five mortality, advance universal health coverage, reverse anti-microbial resistance, scale up emergency risk management capacities, eliminate neglected tropical diseases, and end TB. The regional priorities are in sync with the Sustainable Development Goals for Health.
Over the years, the member countries have been driving substantive gains in health and well-being in line with the flagships. The region eradicated polio in 2014 and eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2016. Maldives and Sri Lanka have eliminated both measles and rubella, while Bhutan, DPR Korea and Timor-Leste have achieved elimination of measles. Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand have eliminated lymphatic filariasis.
Nepal and Myanmar have eliminated trachoma.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 4, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
