WHO brings together partners for health in South-East Asia

The conference of “Partners for Health in South-East Asia” organized by the World Health Organization was inaugurated by Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, India, today. Ministers from 11 Member States along with high-level representatives from donor countries are attending the conference.

The conference aims at strengthening collaboration for health and encouraging effective and sustainable partnerships. WHO and partners will deliberate on priority health issues in the WHO South-East Asia Region. The UN Millennium Development Goals, Noncommunicable diseases and Universal Access to Health services are some of the issues to be discussed at the conference.

“Let us commit ourselves to doing our very best towards instituting a health care system in our region, which is equitable, affordable and accessible by all sections of the society” said the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad in his inaugural address. “Let us resolve that we will not allow our poor and vulnerable to suffer on account of a health care system which is unavailable and unaffordable” he added.

Although significant progress has been achieved in improving the health of the people in South-East Asia, much remains to be done. The Region bears a staggering and disproportionately high proportion (40%) of the world’s disease burden with about a quarter of the world’s population.

“Perhaps the starkest statistic in public health is the difference in maternal and child mortality in rich countries compared with that of less developed countries. Despite the high level of global, regional and national commitments, maternal mortality still remains unacceptably high, which is a reflection of the social inequities and injustices which continue to afflict women. South-East Asia contributes to one third of maternal deaths worldwide,” said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia.

Around 54% of all deaths in the WHO’s South-East Asia Region occur due to noncommunicable diseases. A 21% increase in NCD deaths is expected betwen 2006 - 2015 in the Region. NCDs are, therefore, a major health and development crisis facing the Member countries today.

India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand account for more than 99% of the 3.5 million HIV-positive cases in the Region. There are five million TB cases estimated in the Region and annually more than three million new TB cases emerge. Around 94% of reported malaria cases and deaths in the Region are from India, Indonesia and Myanmar.

Partners from 11 Member States (Bangladesh, Bhutan, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste) along with multilateral and intergovernmental organizations, civil society, foundations, corporations and research/academic institutions will deliberate on key health issues at the conference over the next three days.