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Add to Preferred SourcesSustained investment, mutual learning and support, and regular monitoring of progress – ministers of health and high-level delegates identified these as critical to scaling up health emergency preparedness and response in the WHO European Region.
The priorities and actions compiled in the outcome summary of the ministerial consultation and high-level meeting held on 12–14 February 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey, will accelerate coordinated action to protect people from health emergencies of any type.
“This meeting shows that we have unprecedented momentum to translate our political commitments into action,” said Dr. Nedret Emiroglu, Director of Programme Management and Director of the Division of Health Emergencies and Communicable Diseases at WHO/Europe.
“No single organization, no single sector, and no single country can do it alone; we need everybody on board for joint action and accountability, and we need to make sure that all sectors and all parts of society, including communities, are part of the solution,” she explained.
More than 150 European delegates gathered in Istanbul to share challenges and best practices. Together they charted a path to operationalize the Action plan to improve public health preparedness and response in the WHO European Region, which Member States agreed upon at the 68th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe.
One thing all emergencies have in common is that their impact can be greatly reduced by investing in preparedness. WHO’s case for investment leaves no space for doubt: every US$ 1 invested in health emergency preparedness sees a return of over US$ 8, and a 5-year investment is projected to save 1.5 million human lives and produce US$ 240 billion of economic gain.
This investment pays back in multiple ways. In addition to saving lives, it protects societies and economies, strengthens health systems, and contributes to WHO’s global efforts to protect 1 billion more people worldwide from health emergencies. This also helps pave the way to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals.
Original source: WHO
Published on 25 February 2019