South-East Asia's Health Leaders Unite to Tackle Urgent Public Health Issues

Next week's WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee Session will bring health ministers and officials together to address priorities like universal health coverage, adolescent health, and emergency preparedness amid a significant disease burden. Key resolutions and regional advances will be highlighted during the meeting.

Health ministers and officials from the WHO South-East Asia Region are set to convene in the national capital next week, aiming to accelerate public health initiatives in a region that is home to a quarter of the world's population. This population struggles with preventable and treatable diseases, placing significant responsibility on the annual 77th Regional Committee Session of WHO South-East Asia.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Regional Director Saima Wazed, alongside other senior WHO officials, will participate in the meeting from October 7-9. The gathering will feature a ministerial round table focusing on adolescent-responsive health systems to cater to the unique needs of this demographic, which makes up 27% of the region's population.

The session will assess progress towards universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goals and discuss the expansion of the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund, which has been crucial in responding to 49 health emergencies across 10 countries since 2008. Other topics include traditional medicines, health workforce training, and strategies against dengue and malaria, alongside initiatives to combat viral hepatitis, HIV, STIs, and non-communicable diseases.

(With inputs from agencies.)