{"id":138222,"date":"2021-09-24T20:17:03","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T00:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=138222"},"modified":"2021-09-24T20:17:03","modified_gmt":"2021-09-25T00:17:03","slug":"health-ministers-agree-to-tackle-urgent-health-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/health-ministers-agree-to-tackle-urgent-health-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Health ministers agree to tackle urgent health issues"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 59th<\/sup>\u00a0Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization [PAHO]), which was convened virtually over the period, 20-24 September 2021, and attended by health ministers and authorities from throughout the Americas, concluded this morning.<\/p>

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During this meeting, the health ministers adopted\u00a0resolutions<\/a>\u00a0to strengthen health policies in the Americas and tackle urgent challenges, such as the erosion of routine immunization coverage and responding to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

The Directing Council, which meets annually during the intervening years between the Pan American Sanitary Conference, is responsible for setting PAHO\u2019s policies and priorities for technical cooperation and to consider matters of public health significance.<\/p>

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\u201cYou once again emphasized the need to strengthen health systems to be more resilient and responsive to public health emergencies such as this COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne told ministers at the closure of the meeting. \u201cI was particularly heartened that you explicitly acknowledged the need for greater investment in health systems including the essential public health functions.\u201d<\/p>

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Dr. Etienne acknowledged the many challenges that have impacted national pandemic responses, including \u201cglobal supply chain failures, inequities in availability and distribution of essential supplies, limited or no regional production capacity, inadequate regulatory and support systems,\u201d all of which together deepened regional vulnerability.<\/p>\n

She appealed for support to strengthen a policy of self-sufficiency for the region, \u201cwhich would enable increased national and regional production and increased access to vaccines, essential medicines, and health technology.\u201d<\/p>

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Dr Etienne also called for urgent efforts to boost immunization, saying this week \u201cwe lamented the general decline in vaccination coverage in the Americas with increasing levels of vaccine hesitancy, all of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d She urged \u201cgenuine attention to expanding coverage, improving vaccine outreach programs, investing in the first level of care, and addressing the issue of vaccine hesitancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

She welcomed commitments made by major stakeholders at the US-led Global COVID-19 Summit this week, to meet the goal of vaccinating at least 70% of all people in every country by the end of 2022.<\/p>

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The Council also discussed global health issues, particularly World Health Organization\u2019s (WHO) preparedness for future health emergencies, including legal and financial aspects. Dr. Etienne stressed that much can be learned from PAHO\u2019s decades of experience in responding to and managing emergencies.<\/p>

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\u201cI am very confident that together, unified in the spirit of Pan American solidarity, we will vanquish this SARS-CoV-2 and be much better prepared in real terms for the next, having taken on board and to heart the lessons learned in this chapter of public health,\u201d Dr. Etienne said, \u201cOur people as well as history will demand that we learn from this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0resolutions<\/a>\u00a0of the 59th<\/sup>\u00a0Directing Council include:<\/p>\n