Health Ministers and senior officers from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) South-East Asia member nations will meet this coming week in New Delhi to deliberate on precedence well being points and nominate the following WHO regional director for South-East Asia. 

The 76th session of the WHO regional committee for South-East Asia, the annual governing physique assembly of WHO on the regional degree, shall be held from October 30 to November 2, 2023, in response to an official communication. It added that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WHO South-East Asia regional director Poonam Khetrapal Singh shall be current.

Key matters

Accelerating prevention and management of cardiovascular illnesses, ending uncared for tropical illnesses, and regional well being safety, are among the many key points to be mentioned. A ministerial roundtable shall be held on strengthening main healthcare as a key component in the direction of attaining common well being protection, famous the regional workplace.

“On Wednesday, the regional committee will vote to nominate the next WHO regional director for South-East Asia. There are two candidates in the fray – Bangladesh nominee Saima Wazed and Nepal nominee Shambhu Prasad Acharya. The nomination will be submitted to the WHO executive board, which will meet during January 22-27, 2024, in Geneva, Switzerland. The newly appointed regional director will assume office on February 1, 2024 for a five-year term,” mentioned a senior WHO South-East Asia official.

She added that on the regional committee, nations shall be felicitated for public well being achievements, lots of them triggered by the centered method in the direction of the regional flagship priorities.

Milestones

Giving an outline of the well being points within the area, the WHO workplace notes that this space is dwelling to greater than two billion individuals, and since 2014, the area has eradicated polio and maternal and neonatal tetanus. Four nations – Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste – have eradicated measles and rubella, one of many eight flagship priorities.

Prioritising elimination of uncared for tropical illnesses, 4 nations – Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Bangladesh – have eradicated lymphatic filariasis, whereas Nepal and Myanmar eradicated trachoma, and India was verified yaws-free. Additionally, Sri Lanka and Maldives eradicated malaria, whereas Thailand, Maldives and Sri Lanka eradicated mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand achieved hepatitis B management.

Focusing on accelerating discount of maternal, neonatal and under-5 mortality, the area recorded 68.5 % discount in maternal mortality between 2000 and 2020, and 45% discount in under-5 mortality and 39% discount in neonatal mortality through the interval. Five nations – DPR Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand – have achieved 2030 SDG (sustainable growth targets) targets of lowering under-5 mortality and neonatal mortality.

“Prone to health emergencies, the region had been investing in strengthening preparedness and response capacities since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that hit multiple countries in the region and killed over 2,00,000 people. Countries have been enhancing International Health Regulation (2005) core capacities. The lessons from COVID-19 pandemic are now guiding the Regional Strategic Roadmap on Health Security and Health System Resilience for Emergencies 2023-2027,” mentioned Dr. Khetrapal.

Tackling BP, diabetes

She added that the area is accelerating management of cardiovascular illnesses with a goal to position 100 million individuals with hypertension and/or diabetes on protocol-based administration by 2025.

“We are committed to accelerating universal health coverage. With the focus on human resources for health and essential medicines, the availability of doctors, nurses and midwives has increased by over 30.6% since 2014. Countries in the region have been taking several initiatives to make universal health coverage a reality,” she added.