Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of lives have been lost. It has also immensely strained health systems around the globe. Some hospitals have been incapacitated to even provide oxygen to patients. Therefore, the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee Meeting for South-East Asia which is underway discussed the need to build a resilient healthcare system to achieve universal health coverage and sustainable development goals (SDG).
On the second day of the virtual session today, Health Secretary Dr Pandup Tshering stressed the urgency of reprioritisation of activities and investments towards building better health systems in the region.
He said that discussions will follow on how to recover from the effects of COVID-19 on normal healthcare services such as immunisation programmes, tuberculosis and other essential healthcare services.
During the opening session of the committee meeting yesterday, health minister Dechen Wangmo sought global solidarity in ensuring equal distribution of COVID vaccinations among all countries.
Globally, only 10 countries have been able to administer the COVID vaccine to at least 75 percent of their population today. The minister, therefore, said collective response is the only way to fend off the pandemic.
The committee is the WHO’s governing body in the region, comprising Bhutan, Bangladesh, South Korea, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.
And Bhutan is the committee’s chair of the Resolution Drafting Committee. The committee meets every year to formulate policies related to health and provide oversight for regional health programmes.
Given the pandemic, the WHO Regional Committee’s session is being conducted virtually for the second time. The five-day virtual meeting will conclude on Friday.
Choni Dema
Edited by Chayku
