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Al-Ahram Weekly 23 - 29 September 1999 Issue No. 448 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 23 - 29 September 1999 Issue No. 448
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Comment Focus Special Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The responsibility for health
By Rania KhallafWith 23 nations taking part, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak presided on Monday over the opening ceremony of the 46th session of the World Health Organisation's regional committee for the eastern Mediterranean. The three-day conference coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of WHO's regional office.
"As the people's awareness of social rights increases, the responsibility of states for achieving health security has been doubled," Mrs Mubarak told the gathering. "Health security has become a societal challenge, requiring urgent action to solve the problems which impede its realisation, and the adoption of innovative policies in social fields linked to the health sector."
Mrs Mubarak drew attention to the great efforts that have been made to improve the health services extended to children. "We are proud to announce that, with the advent of the new century, our country will be free from polio," she said. Noting that scientific research has become a necessity for the continuation of life on this planet, Mrs Mubarak added that "industrialised countries should realise that there is a contradiction between the monopoly of new discoveries and the ethics of scientific research in the age of globalisation. Cooperation is necessary to confront common dangers. The greatest challenge facing the new world order is to distribute the fruits of development on an equal and fair basis among all nations."
In re-arranging the state's priorities, more financial allocations should be made for achieving human development goals, including health, instead of focusing on military expenditures, Mrs Mubarak said. "We hope that social policies will be inspired by a peace orientation and that greater cooperation will be achieved in the health sector. Establishing an integrated database on health issues in the Middle East and organising training programmes are bound to increase the public health levels in the countries of the region," she added.
Dr Hussein Gezairi, director of WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region, urged greater efforts to combat smoking. "Unfortunately, powerful interest groups and multinational companies continue to promote smoking in all possible ways, allocating large amounts of money to finance sustained marketing campaigns," he said. "They try hard to circumvent the laws that seek to fight the smoking habit."
Dr Gro Harlem, WHO's director-general, said that "working together more effectively, as one WHO, is the key. Reaching out to civil society, NGOs, our UN partners and the private sector will increase the impact that we can make," she said. "The Eastern Mediterranean region has, since its inception, perpetuated the fact that health is not something that can be done to the people, but by the people. By aiming to achieve a better quality of life, the office provides a common and sufficiently attractive goal for sustainable inter-sectoral action and strong community partnership."
