PAHO World Health Day conference will feature former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet
The special April 4 event will highlight challenges and advances toward guaranteeing the right to health in the 21st century. It can be followed via livestream.
Washington, D.C., April 2, 2018 (PAHO / WHO) — In observance of World Health Day, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will host a conference on universal health in the Americas on April 4 starting 11:30 am (EDT), in Washington, DC. Former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet and PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne will be the keynote speakers.
This year’s World Health Day (April 7) will be dedicated to universal health, under which all people and communities have access to quality health services, without discrimination and without fear of financial difficulties.
Under the slogan “Universal health: Everyone, Everywhere,” the campaign calls on representatives of governments, academia and civil society to stimulate dialogue on policies that can help achieve health for all by 2030. In the Americas, three in ten people do not have access to health care for financial reasons, and two out of ten do not seek medical attention due to geographical barriers they face.
WHAT: Conference on universal health in the region of the Americas
WHEN: Wednesday, April 4, 2018, at 11.30 a.m. (EDT – Washington, DC, time)
WHERE: www.livestream.com/pahotv/WHD2018
WHO:
· Carissa F. Etienne, Director of PAHO
· Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile and president of the PAHO High Level Commission on “Universal health in the 21st century: 40 years of Alma-Ata”
CONTEXT:
The concept of universal health encompasses the full range of health services, from promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and end-of-life care, which must be of quality, comprehensive, safe, effective and affordable to everyone.
It implies not only that all people are covered but also that they have access to the care they need, when they need it and wherever they are, whether they live in large cities or in remote areas. It also takes into account the social determinants of health, such as inequalities based on ethnicity, gender, and education or access to sanitation services, all of which affect people’s health status.
Forty years after the Declaration of Alma-Ata —which promoted the values of the right to health, equity and solidarity ethnicity and gender the region of the Americas continues to be one of the most inequitable in the world. PAHO member countries have pledged to address this problem through actions and policies that advance universal health, taking into account, each country’s context. These actions are also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
In February, former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet was invited by PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne to chair a high-level commission to propose solutions that expand health access and coverage for all regions of the Americas by 2030.
The Commission’s High Level Regional Forum on “Universal Health in the 21st Century: 40 Years of Alma-Ata” will produce a report with recommendations to improve the performance of health systems, overcome exclusion, empower communities, and improve social participation in decisions that impact on health, with the goal of advancing towards universal health in the Americas. The commission will meet on April 5 and 6 at PAHO headquarters in Washington, D.C.
###
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) works with the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of their populations. Founded in 1902, it is the world’s oldest international public health organization. It serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO and is the specialized health agency of the inter-American system.
LINKS:
World Health Day: www.paho.org/whd
Campaign materials: www.paho.org/world-health-day/?page_id=820
