Preventable childhood, maternal deaths should be eradicated by 2025 - Dr. Ramsammy proposes at WHA meeting

Source: Guyana Chronicle, 30th May 2008

MINISTER of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and President of the World Health Assembly (WHA), made several pertinent proposals to the 61st Session which was held at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, to improve health in several countries.

At the one-week assembly held from May 19 to 24, the Health Minister proposed that preventable childhood and maternal deaths be eliminated by 2025. This, the minister said, is part of global efforts.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Ministry of Health Boardroom last Wednesday, Dr. Ramsammy said these proposals were made in the context that the WHA countries should try to strive for an earlier date against what was proposed by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“The MDGs have established certain goals and one of that is by 2015 child deaths should be reduced by 75 percent and maternal deaths by 75 percent. These are laudable goals but I believe that we should be bolder in our approach and I believe that a child born in Botswana or in Black Bush Polder, Guyana, should have the same chance of survival as the child born in New York or Toronto or London.”

He said that if countries are really serious about equity then these reductions must be their targets.

The Health Minister believes that for the latter to be achieved, poverty must also be eliminated and they are confident that this can also be attained by 2025.

“The world has today an economy worth US $70 trillion and 15 years ago that was less then US $35 trillion, so it has doubled in 15 years and the pace that it is going now, it will more than double in the next 15 years which is before 2025 and with that kind of economic resources we should end poverty,” Dr. Ramsammy posited.

He also proposed that no country in the world should have a life expectancy under 60 years by 2025.

“This means that we would have regional goals established because most of our countries are already past 60 in the Americas. There are only two countries in our Region…Guyana as part of its National health strategy…We are working towards a life expectancy of 70 by 2012. So my proposals represent the global situation,” the minister declared.

Guyana’s life expectancy at present is 68 years but there are more than 50 countries with life expectancy under 50 years.

Dr. Ramsammy noted that Ministers of Health from around the world had expressed support for some of his proposals.

Meanwhile, the WHA made several pertinent decisions which included an agreement on the harmful use of alcohol. This means that it has now been seen as a public health problem on the priority agenda.

The WHA will set certain minimum actions that countries must take by 2010 but prior 2010 all countries have agreed to establish national strategies for the prevention of the harmful use of alcohol.

The WHA also made a decision that countries will have to report to the Assembly every year on what they are doing to implement the International Health Regulation (IHR) and any case that has come within the purview of the IHR. This means that there will be an annual scorecard on the progress being made by the countries implementing the proposals.

The issue of eradication of polio was also discussed and it was agreed that routine immunization against polio should not be less than 80 percent in any country and countries must now set target dates on when they will achieve this global minimum standard.

Guyana has a 97 percent coverage rate for polio and the last case was reported in 1962.

The WHA is the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which meets in Geneva in May each year. It is attended by approximately 193 member States and their delegates.