MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is the newest member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board, with a 3-year term that will end in 2018.
Newly-confirmed Health Secretary Janette Garin will represent the country in the board, the Philippines’ foreign affairs department said in a statement Wednesday, June 3.
Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Cecilia Rebong said it’s an honor for the Philippines to be part of the WHO Executive Board.
“The Philippines will be guided by the decisions of our global leaders in the World Health Assembly, as well as the interests of the Philippines in health and other sectors, in fulfilling our duty as a member of the Executive Board,” she said in a statement.
The other 11 countries with the same 3-year term as the Philippines are Canada, Congo, Dominican Republic, France, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sweden, and Thailand.
The Executive Board is composed of 34 members “technically qualified” in the field of health. It oversees implementation of decisions and policies by member-states of the World Health Assembly.
It also gives expert advice on health matters, and nominates the Director-General of the United Nations (UN) health agency.
On May 27 – just a day after the 68th World Health Assembly ended – the Executive Board met for the first time and came up with recommendations on how WHO can strategically allocate its budget space for its service delivery.
In keeping with this year’s World Health Assembly theme, Garin shared the Philippines’ Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) experience in rebuilding resilient health systems when she addressed WHO’s 194 member-states on May 19.
“Our health facilities enhancement program has a needs-based approach, ensuring that primary care benefits, TB control and maternal care are being provided in every village,” she said.
Garin called on the World Health Assembly to support measures within and outside the health sector that will address the effects of climate change – a phenomenon that damages health systems, especially ill-prepared ones.
“Ultimately, strengthening the 6 building blocks of the health system is the long-term viable approach to ensure health system resilience,” she said, referring to the following:
- leadership/governance
- healthcare financing
- health workforce
- medical products, technologies
- information and research
- service delivery
– Rappler.com
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