Health Ministers from WHO's South-East Asia region to discuss COVID, health services

New Delhi [India], September 3 : Health ministers of member countries of WHO South-East Asia Region will deliberate next week on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures to 'build back better' essential health services to achieve universal health coverage (UHC).
The Seventy Fourth Regional Committee Session of WHO South-East Asia, the annual governing body meeting of WHO in the Region, is being virtually hosted by Nepal from September 6 to 10.
The meeting will be attended by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Health Ministers and senior health officials of Member Countries of the Region, UN Agencies, partners, donors, and civil society representatives, confirms WHO.
The discussion is expected to will be focused on strengthening public health emergency preparedness and response, accelerating progress for prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. It will also focus on ending viral hepatitis, HIV and STI.
Monitoring progress on universal health coverage, revitalizing school-health, and the regional framework for a vaccine action plan for vaccine-preventable diseases would also be discussed.
The meeting will take stock of the progress being made in the region on resolutions adopted at previous regional committee meetings.
Measles and rubella elimination by 2023, improving access to essential medical products, the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund and strengthening health systems to accelerate delivery of services for non-communicable diseases at the primary health care level, would come up at the meeting.