WHO member states to map out health priorities for the Western Pacific

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

 Health leaders and delegates from the 38 countries and territories will gather in Nadi, Fiji, for the 76^th session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, which opens today.

The session, which continues until Oct. 24, will tackle health priorities for the region’s 2.2 billion people, representing over a quarter of the world’s population.

“Member states recognize that health, as a pillar of social and economic development, has never been more important in our interconnected region and world,” said Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific.

He said this year’s agenda covers noncommunicable and infectious diseases, climate crisis and health care systems.

 “We are addressing all of these priorities through existing global frameworks customized for our region,” Piukala said.

WHO said the discussions on noncommunicable diseases will focus on alcohol and tobacco control through the organization’s best-buy measures, such as increasing alcohol and tobacco taxes and clamping down on insidious marketing aimed at young people.

Also under discussion will be the urgency of incorporating oral health into primary health care in the region, where more than 800 million people live with largely preventable oral health diseases.

The session will also tackle the impact of climate change on health, with the goal of strengthening climate-resilient health systems.

WHO also said the regional committee will launch a new five-year regional climate and health strategy developed, in consultation with member states, by the WHO Asia-Pacific Center for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific.

The third major issue focuses on strengthening preparedness for and response to health emergencies through the implementation of recent amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005), which is complemented by the WHO Pandemic Agreement endorsed by member states earlier this year.

WHO said the regional committee will also consider measures on how to make safer surgery both more accessible and affordable; employ artificial intelligence as a tool to broaden access to health services, including for communities and populations traditionally left behind; and support countries and areas facing an alarming resurgence of HIV, including Fiji, to tackle outbreaks through strategic approaches involving impacted populations.

 The annual session of the regional committee comes at a time of unprecedented challenge for WHO, amid restructuring in the wake of the significant financial impact of the United States’ decision to withdraw from the organization.

 “The past year has been one of the most difficult ever. But I can truly say that today we are far more fit-for-purpose going forward,” Piukala said.

 “We prioritize how to support our member states more effectively through targeted interventions in specific areas – including immunization, hypertension and clean water in health facilities,” he added.

This will be the first time in more than 10 years that a Pacific island country is hosting the annual session, providing a wider opportunity for Pacific islands to participate as they carry disproportionate burdens of noncommunicable disease and climate change.

 After the regional committee, a one-day meeting of Pacific health ministers will take place on Yanuca Island, Fiji, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Yanuca Island Declaration and to revitalize the Healthy Islands vision and framework, taking into account present-day realities.

“The Healthy Islands Vision 2050 builds on our collective progress, but also recognizes the current scenarios our region faces – from the climate crisis to health workforce challenges to digital transformation and artificial intelligence,” Piukala said.

The Yanuca Island meeting will complement the discussions at the Regional Committee and further strengthen actions to realize the Region’s vision for public health – Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies in the Western Pacific Region.

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