At the 74th WHO European Regional Session, an action plan to improve preparedness for health emergencies was approved
On behalf of the Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko, First Deputy Serhii Dubrov represented the Ukrainian delegation at the 74th session of the World Health Organization’s Regional Committee for Europe, which took place on October 29-31 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The annual event brings together ministers of health, high-level representatives of 53 WHO Member States in the European region, and representatives of partner organizations and civil society.
During his speech at the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, Serhii Dubrov spoke about Ukraine’s experience in providing sustainable medical care in the context of a full-scale war.
“For more than two and a half years, the Ukrainian healthcare system has been facing the challenges caused by the war waged by russia against our country. The aggressor country, disregarding international norms and rules of warfare, is destroying Ukrainian hospitals, delivering double strikes, and attacking emergency vehicles. Nevertheless, we are making every effort to ensure a decent level of medical care and development of the healthcare sector. Thanks to international support, our heroic medics and healthcare facilities are provided with the material and technical base and the necessary medicines to ensure that every patient can receive high-quality, free and affordable medical care.”
On 30 October, the WHO Regional Director for Europe was elected at the morning meeting of the session. The current Director, Dr. Hans Kluge, was unanimously re-elected for a second term. He has over 25 years of experience in medicine and has been in office since 1 February 2020. His second term will begin in February 2025, after the WHO Executive Board approves. In his speech, Dr. Kluge assured that support for Ukraine has been and will remain his priority for the next five years.
Dr. Hans Kluge’s key tasks at the WHO Regional Office for Europe will primarily focus on sanitary and epidemiological security, mental health, the climate crisis, and gender-based violence.
At the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, major decisions were made on health emergencies: The Preparedness 2.0 regional strategy and action plan and the Emergency Medical Teams regional action plan for 2024-2030.
The Preparedness 2.0 strategy is WHO’s global framework for health emergency preparedness, response and resilience, adapted to the European region. It consists of five key points: collective surveillance, safe delivery of assistance at the required scale, protection, and resilience of the population, access to disease control, and coordination of emergency response.
The Emergency Medical Teams regional action plan for 2024-2030 opens up new opportunities for countries in the European region to develop and strengthen the capacity of their emergency medical services. The key goal is to increase the level of preparedness and ensure rapid response of such teams to various crises, such as natural disasters, conflicts, and disease outbreaks, so that everyone can receive the necessary assistance promptly, regardless of location.