WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) Executive Committee has ended its 168th Session with draft resolutions on key issues such as resilient health systems, equitable access to the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, and a comprehensive approach for addressing health threats at the human-animal-environment health interface, also known as “One Health.”
Dr. Carissa EtiennePAHO’s Executive Committee is composed of nine member states, namely Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Haiti, Suriname, and the United States.
“Our discussions have focused on agenda items that will allow us to both end the pandemic and to look forward to the post-pandemic era with an emphasis on better prevention, preparation and building back better towards holistic sustainable development with attention to equity, solidarity and leaving no one behind,” said PAHO Director Dr. Carissa F. Etienne.
The meeting addressed reinvigorating immunization as a public good for universal health, increasing production capacity for essential medicines and health technologies, and the digital transformation of the health care sector.
Dr. Etienne said that the declaration of immunization as a public global good and the critical need to raise awareness of the life-saving potential of vaccines across a broad spectrum of advocates ranging from family members to health care workers is key to the elimination of vaccine preventable illnesses as well as for safeguarding our past gains.
“Our discussions regarding the digital transformation of the health care sector in our region were particularly illuminating, “the Dominican-born PAHO official said, adding “this coupled with the ambitious proposal for the application of data science and artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies will enhance health development efforts”.
PAHO said that a draft resolution on resilient health systems urged countries of the Americas to advance in transforming health systems based on the primary health care approach. It also asked them to increase and sustain public investments in health.
“I cannot overstate the urgent need to prioritize the building of resilient health systems,” Dr. Etienne said, adding “to this end, we have adopted a resolution which will allow us to focus on a host of structural and organizational issues not only to recover from the current crisis but also to recapture those lost public health gains and prepare for the future”.
The draft resolution and other documents will be examined from September 20-24 this year by the Directing Council, which comprises all of the PAHO member states.
