WHO and Partners Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Committee, Cairo, September 29th - October 2nd, 2003

Twenty three Ministers of Health representing the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, meet annually as members of the regional committee. This is a supreme WHO committee, on the regional level, whose main interest is to investigate the pressing health issues deserving serious investigation, and to draw up health policies.

In addition to the large number of regular proceedings pertinent to the annual meeting of the regional committee, this year’s proceedings are drawn up to commemorate the committee’s diverse activities in celebration of this special occasion.

First, the publication of the illustrated book: On The Road To Health is an illustrated document of the Organization’s 50 year- sincere and dedicated journey in the field of health promotion. The book contains 300 pictures, selected from a total of 4000 photographs from the work of five WHO photographers who were sent to almost every part of the region, even those that have witnessed major political or natural disasters, documenting scenes of violent conflicts, bloodshed, floods or earthquakes and their aftermath of hazardous emergencies.

The second event, held in celebration of this special occasion, is the exhibition of the regional committee’s collection of documentary art-work, hand-made crafts, documents, films and posters. These exhibits pay tribute to the different activities of the Arab Gulf Program (which supports the developmental organizations of the WHO) in homage to the role that this program has played in the promotion of health activities in this region.

The agenda for this meeting, like those of previous sessions, covers a wide range of important health issues, such as, integrating health hygiene and promotion efforts in the area of disease control and eradication, and other items relevant to health-related social and economic topics. These, indeed, being the major issues or themes that are, in line with the organization’s basic philosophy or rationale of health promoting policies.

The promotion of healthy life styles can be taken as a model to illustrate health hygiene and promotion efforts. The facts and evidence make this topic an item of high priority on this session’s agenda.Seventy five percent of the population of the Eastern Mediterranean region leads very unhealthy life styles: inactivity, lethargy, bad eating habits in addition to an increasingly high rate of tobacco consumption. Such unhealthy life-styles have eventually resulted in the obesity of the population, especially the female population. Figures point out that obesity, among the female population, has of late soared up to 63% in some communities.In the last few years, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases have risen to be top on the list of the main causes for death, in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The committee is planning to draw up a list of strategies for implementation, in order to meet the cumbersome burden of eradicating both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Another top-priority item on this meeting’s agenda is the discussion of the serious efforts that the organization gives to the securing of a tobacco-free world, a model initiative promoting healthy life-styles. The committee will discuss a developmental report that comprehensively and realistically describes the seriousness of the problem of tobacco consumption in this region. Especially that the smoking population now includes a higher percentage of females and minors: figures have risen to 15% among this group and to 75% among male smokers.Efforts to bring about a smoke free world have taken on a new perspective since the adoption and endorsement of the Framework Convention on tobacco control.

Another top priority item, is, the provision of health care for the elderly is a serious concern of the organization, especially with the rising numbers of people who are 60 or above. The increase in the life-span of the population in many of the region’s communities has gone up to 5.8% and a further rise of 15% is expected by the year 2005. This in itself is a challenge that should be met on many levels in addition to that of health care, the social, and the economic needs of the elderly members of the region need to be seriously taken into consideration in an attempt to fulfill them.

The control and eradication of disease, still remains to be one of the main high-priority goals on all the agendas of any committee meeting. The list of diseases that currently constitute major challenges and receive the undivided attention of the organization, like HIV/AIDS, are top-priority concerns as these diseases are the main causes of death in the region. The figures of HIV patients have risen well above 750, 000, and a 100, 000 of whom are in dire need for treatment. Unfortunately, however, due to serious shortages and poor medical care conditions, treatment, can be made available to cover only 1200 patients. It is hoped that the 3 X 5 Strategy will better meet these rising demands and will make treatment available for 3 million HIV patients over the next five years.

The threat of diseases of animal origin has markedly increased in the last few years: Rabies, Rift Valley fever, Brucellosis and Salmonellas, to mention only a few examples. The committee is in the process of studying developmental reports, on how these epidemic diseases have risen and spread in order to develop the adequate means of combating them. Work in this area, however, is still in progress.

Filiariasis is another seriously threatening disease affecting millions in the region, the consequences of which lead to different kinds of complications that may result in deformities and handicaps. The parasite that causes the disease is mainly found in three countries: Egypt, Sudan and Yemen. In their attempts to eradicate this disease, these countries are massively administrating drugs in endemic areas.

The committee is currently studying a technical report evaluating the positive efforts of those responsible. This report, however, also warns against any negligence in the rehabilitation programs for these patients.

The attention and effort that the committee has devoted to the eradication of Polio and the follow-up procedures it has implemented, in the attempt to overcome this disease, are tremendous. Intensive effort and collaboration between Egypt, Pakistan and Afghanistan is ongoing to keep up with sister nations in the region that have successfully managed to eradicate this disease.

The agenda moves on to cover items related to health system promotion, the committee will, as always, spare no effort to implement measures of quality service control: the standardization of hospital services and health care that meet the set quality standards and procedures to provide accredited quality control. The committee will investigate two technical papers regarding this issue and will also discuss another technical paper on the health related consequences arising from the implementation of the World Trade Agreement and TRIPS.

Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, Regional Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Region will give the inauguration speech, on Monday, September 29th, 2003 at 9a.m. in the opening session at EMRO.

The following distinguished members of the committee are expected to attend this meeting: the Health Ministers of the member countries of the region, or their representatives, His Excellency Prince Tallal Ben-Abdel-Aziz, Head of Arab Gulf Program to support U.N. Developmental Organizations, Dr.Jong-Wook Lee, the new WHO Director-General, a number of senior WHO officials and Consultants, and a number of representatives from several regional and international organizations.