From April 8th – 10th, 2013, the World Health Summit will hold its inaugural Regional Meeting in Singapore. Mr. Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, has already roused expectations with his kind greeting words:

"Health care leaders will be coming together in Singapore at this regional meeting to move research and knowledge to policy and implementation in Asia and beyond. We welcome you to join us in Singapore to share about building 'Health for Sustainable Development in Asia'."

We are honored to announce that Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore, will hold the Opening Address of the Summit. He will be followed by an "Asian Ministers Panel Discussion" and various inspiring speakers.

Read more about the <link whsrma2013 speakers.html _blank external-link-new-window external link in new>confirmed speakers online >>>

“Health for Sustainable Development in Asia”, the theme of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting, will be discussed within four program tracks:

1. The Impact of Health on Asian Economies
2. Innovations in Health in Asia
3. Financing Health Care
4. Emerging Health Threats in Asia

Please find detailed information on each track and the wide range of discussions and workshops in our online form >>>

The year 2012 saw a wonderful meeting of both old and new friends and colleagues at the World Health Summit in Berlin.

These highly inspiring days have been captured and preserved on film.

Please enjoy the World Health Summit 2012 in a visual wrap-up: <link the-summit visuals video-gallery whs-film-2012.html _blank external-link-new-window external link in new>the WHS Film 2012 >>>

“Multi and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis”

Koch-Metschnikow-Forum
DAHW German Leprosy and Tuberculosis Relief Association
World Health Organization Europe

Summary and Main Outcomes

The following topics were discussed by experts in epidemiology, diagnostics, treatment and clinical field work in tuberculosis control:

- Epidemiological situation and performance monitoring in the European Region, particularly in Germany

- The WHO’s roadmap to prevent and combat drug-resistant tuberculosis in the European Region and the Global Fund Role in the global tuberculosis prevention and care

- Current trends in microbiological tuberculosis diagnostics

- Bi- and multilateral projects in tuberculosis containment

- Advocacy and collaboration with political decision makers

- What is beyond the millennium development goals (MDGs)/2015?

WHO/Europe presented the “Consolidated Action Plan to Prevent and Combat M/XDR-TB in 2011-2015” which provides a valuable framework for organizing tuberculosis control in our Region. According to WHO and as a result of the panel discussion, the following steps were considered crucial for a successful control of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the WHO European Region:

Mohammed Yassin, The Global Fund (Switzerland)

- Establish comprehensive national M/XDR-TB plans in accordance with the Regional Action Plan;

- Assess health systems to identify bottlenecks and propose solutions for each of the high-burden countries;

- Provide coordinated technical assistance as required;

- Organize high-level visits to advocate for the implementation the Action Plan;

- Establish the Interagency tuberculosis Coordination Committee for the follow up of the implementation of the Action Plan;

- Implement novel diagnostic techniques to accelerate diagnostics of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis;

- Develop public health intervention strategies to interrupt transmission of resistant tuberculosis strains.

The Health Workforce Crisis:

What are the Future Challenges?

World Health Organization
Migration Policy Institute
AMREF Italia

Key Messages

- The HRH (Human Resources for Health) crisis is truly global and multidimensional in nature. For 57 countries, the situation is critical and is underpinned by the low capacity to produce health workers – SSA (the home of 36 of those countries) has only 4% of health workers but 25% of the global burden of disease.

- The reporting on the implementation of the Code reveals a strong message that cooperation on health workforce development in the context of the Code tends to go beyond purely migration-related issues.

- In the case of Lesotho, a country with a fragile health system, health workforce migration is difficult to tackle in a reality of numerous challenges and the inescapable paradox of remittances that is generated my migrant workers in general.

- While the Code is a mechanism to globally reason the implication of health workforce migration, the seeds of change are born of local actions. The case of Norway exemplified a destination country of good coverage of health personnel where long term governmental initiatives are anticipating and preparing for future health care needs.

- Civil society organizations have been increasingly active at both national and international levels in raising awareness and bringing political attention to health workforce issues, including the promotion, dissemination and implementation of the Code.

Amani Siyam, World Health Organization (Switzerland) et al

- On a global scale, the trends of health workforce migration warrant multiple observations. Foreign-trained doctors and nurses make up a significant share of the health workforce in the major English-speaking destinations; these flows have not been strongly affected by the global economic crisis and are expected to remain strong in coming decades as aging populations increase demand for health services. While some governments — notably the United Kingdom — have actively recruited health professionals in the past, they may receive large inflows, even without active or deliberate recruitment. Doctors and nurses have generally been able to qualify for employment-based immigration because they have high levels of education and this is unlikely to change in the near future; barriers to professional registration still exist in many cases, although some governments — notably Australia — are taking steps to reduce these obstacles.

- By and large, the route to tackling the HRH crisis is chartered by a transformative approach to improve production (in quality, quantity and relevance) and an integrated approach to service provision and innovative strategies to increase retention and motivation.

Save the Date: World Health Summit 2013, October 20th - 22nd, Berlin

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