Ministers of Health of all the countries of the Americas will gather at the headquarters of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) here on Monday, Sept. 27 for the annual Directing Council meeting.
For five days, the health leaders will analyze the health situation in the region and adopt key resolutions on important public health problems.
This Directing Council, the governing body of PAHO, is made up of all the health ministers, who meet annually to set health policies and receive new reports on the state of health in the Americas.
The meeting agenda covers a series of key public health topics including, among others:
Reducing the impact of disasters on health facilities. More than half of the 16,000 hospitals in Latin America and the Caribbean are situated in areas at high risk for disasters. Many have been lost in earthquakes, hurricanes such as Mitch, and serious floods. Nature alone is not responsible for the collapse of hospitals. The construction of new hospitals without taking into account risk or natural hazards and the progressive deterioration or lack of maintenance in existing health infrastructure also contribute to the destruction of infrastructure and the death of its occupants. Hazards may often be natural, but the vulnerability of facilities to hazards is not. Although the vulnerability of health facilities increases progressively over the years, it is possible to reverse this trend.
Expanding Treatment for HIV/AIDS. More than 2 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean are today living with HIV. Despite advances in many countries, the epidemic continues to grow, particularly in Central America and the Caribbean. To address these issues, the region has signed on to the "3 by 5" initiative, which aims at expanding the number of people receiving antiretroviral treatment to 600,000 by 2005.
Revision of the International Health Regulations. In today's world of new and reemerging diseases, the list of threats to international public health is growing. The International Health Regulations provide a valuable tool to help countries coordinate their efforts and respond to common health threats in a timely and effective manner.
The opening ceremony starts Sept. 27 at 9 a.m. with the ministers and PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses, who will offer an inaugural address. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson will offer welcoming remarks on behalf of the host country, and WHO Director-General Dr. LEE Jong-wook is scheduled to give an address.
On Monday morning, Roses will also present her annual report, offering a panoramic view of the most important public health topics in the America and future challenges in the Organization's work to improve the quality of life of the people of the region.
On Tuesday, a special session is devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Declaration of Alma-Ata on primary health care, with experts analyzing achievements and failures of the goal of "Health for all by the year 2000." Last year, the Directing Council made a series of recommendations to strengthen primary health care and take its principles into account in all technical programs, especially those related to the Millennium Development Goals.
PAHO, which also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization, has been working for more than 100 years with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and raise the living standards of their peoples. Established in 1902, PAHO Member States today include all 35 countries in the Americas. France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are Participating States, and Portugal and Spain are Observer States. Puerto Rico is an Associate Member.
For additional information, contact Daniel Epstein, PAHO, Public Information, 202-974-3459
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