Word Health Organization
Executive Board 120th Session, Geneva, January 22nd to 31st, 2007
WASPaLM representatives: Dr. Utz P. Merten and Dr. Robby Bacchus
We attended this meeting at the request of the Board of WASPaLM.
The meeting was very well attended and we were privileged to hear the address of the new Director General, Dr. Margaret Chan, a former physician from Hong Kong, trained in Canada. The new Deputy Director General is Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah from Ghana.
In her address to the attendees Dr. Chan focussed on the reduction in deaths by the accelerated measles immunization programme which has averted 2.3 Million deaths which represents an impressive 75% reduction from 2000 to 2005.
A similar initiative will be made by WHO towards malaria control and eradication and a world malaria day will be defined later. Some of the initiatives for health promoting interventions include bed nets, Vitamin A to boost the immune system and these initiatives were supported by government representatives. An area of immense interest and focus will be the African continent for WHO special attention.
The other issues to be addressed will be health systems, evidence for measuring impacts and access to essential care. In the field of chronic disease the approach will be to improve risk factors and surveillance using standardized methods.
It was also reported that the pandemic threat and avian flu is still with us and it was noted that as of the time of her address there were 267 cases of avian flu of which 161 were fatal representing a fatality rate of 60%. More deaths occurred in 2006 than in the previous years combined. The message to all of us is straight forward – >we must not let down our guard<. From what is known from the virus the virus does not at present transmit easily from birds to humans.
Meeting with Dr. Gaby Vercauteren
We had a very constructive discussion with Gaby who informed us that none of her projects for 2006 were implemented because of a variety of political factors and changes within WHO. She has agreed to cooperate with WASPaLM on a WASPaLM educational project in 2008 in Africa. The countries under consideration are Kenya Ghana and Nigeria. The choice of venue will be determined after further discussion with potential hosts. Gaby will be meeting with Robby in London in April 2007.
Dr. Vercauteren also informed us that she will be happy to participate in our bureau meeting in Malaysia and will not be seeking any funds for her trip. The title of her proposed talk will be >The importance of laboratory services at primary care level – a global perspective<.
We also held discussions with Mr. P. Cerf, Counsellor Federal Foreign Office, Berlin, member of the German delegation regarding the establishment of a common Health Terminology based on SNOMED CT. He told us later that he has informed Mr. T. Hofmann, Deputy Head of the Division, Federal Ministry of Health, Bonn, who also is a member of the German Delegation promoting this venture.
Gaby also knows of our support for this initiative and she undertook to lobby appropriate individuals on behalf of WASPaLM.
We wish to thank the members of the bureau for the opportunity to represent WASPaLM at the WHO meeting.
Dr. Utz P. Merten Dr. Robby Bacchus
Attachments:
EB 120/9 14 December 2006: >eHealth: standardized terminology<
EB 120/13 30 November 2006: >Draft resolution deferred from the Fifty-ninth World Health Assembly and the 118th session of the Executive Board< Essential health technologies, Report of the Secretariat.
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