BANGKOK: WHO is bringing together parliamentarians from Member States in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to deliberate on the challenges in strengthening national public heath systems in the Region. Countries in the Region face several challenges including the rising burden of non communicable diseases; malnutrition; public health emergencies and protecting health from climate change. WHO is urging parliamentarians to focus on issues such as strengthening the public health workforce; promoting public health through strong policies; inequities in health; as well as adequate and appropriate financial allocations for public health.
Member States of the WHO South-East Asia Region have an unprecedented opportunity for human development. The rapid economic growth in the past decade or so has generated vast resources that, if harnessed wisely, can lead to tangible socioeconomic development. However, the tendency to view health through the lens of disease leads to disproportionate attention and diversion of resources for curative medical care at the expense of more cost-effective health promotion and disease prevention initiatives.
“We tend to be concerned with health only when disease or sickness strikes. This is as true for individuals as it is for policy-makers and health-care providers. With the skyrocketing costs of medical care, If we focus more on keeping our populations healthy, we will not only enhance human productivity but also considerably reduce financial resources needed for setting up expensive diagnostic and curative facilities” said Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO’s Regional Director for South-East Asia.
In addition to the existing health challenges like tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS and the high burden of maternal and child deaths, the Region is confronted with a burgeoning epidemic of noncommunicable diseases. Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases are increasing exponentially. These conditions are not only expensive to treat but require life-long care. In addition, the South–East Asia Region is prone to man-made and natural disasters which impose a severe challenge to health. The Region is also beginning to witness the health effects of climate change. The SARS and influenza epidemics have shown how rapidly these conditions can spread and cause massive disruptions in the economy. There is a need to examine whether public health systems in the Region are ready to address the provisions of the International Health Regulations.
While world-class tertiary medical care infrastructure has been created by governments, unacceptable inequities in health exist between and within countries. The very high levels of malnutrition, high prevalence of maternal and child mortality due to largely preventable causes, and higher rates of morbidity and mortality due to communicable and noncommunicable diseases in the poorer segments of society are some of the manifestations of relatively weak public health systems.
The South-East Asia Region bears the highest rate of out-of-pocket expenses for health. This has been recognized as one of the most important reasons for the causation and perpetuation of poverty in the Region. Large numbers of people in Member States slip below the poverty line each year when sickness strikes. It would thus be reasonable to state that investments in public health should form a very important component of the poverty alleviation agenda of governments.
WHO is calling upon parliamentarians to work towards “health in all policies”. This Conference is a step to bring different sectors of national governments together to strengthen national public health systems in South-East Asia.