Libyan health minister chairs 68th WHO Regional Committee meeting for Eastern Mediterranean
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Minister of Health, Ali al-Zanati, has been elected to chair the 68th Regional Committee of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean taking place in Cairo.
The meeting is being held virtually for the second year in a row, from 11 to 14 October 2021.
It is attended by ministers of health and representatives of the 22 countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, as well as partner organisations and civil society, to discuss priority public health issues.
These include preparing for and responding to health emergencies, integrated disease surveillance, building resilient communities and the growing diabetes epidemic, with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic being a priority.
Representatives of the Regional Committee will also be briefed on progress on climate change, tobacco control, implementation of the International Health Regulations, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, hospital care, capacity building of national institutions for evidence-based health policy making.
The implementation of the Political Declaration for the Third High-Level Meeting of the WHO General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, mental health and the public health response to drug abuse are also among the topics to be discussed.
-0- PANA BY/JSG/SOC/BBA 12Oct2021
