Parliamentarians urged to work towards “health in all policies” in SEA

BANGKOK, March 20 (TNA) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on parliamentarians in Southeast Asia to work with different sectors of national governments towards the “health in all policies” to strengthen the public health system of each country. Being among those who can influence governments' policies and resource allocations, parliamentarians from WHO's eleven member states in Southeast Asia are gathering in Bangkok this week to seek ways in dealing with health challenges as a result of rapid economic growth, population surge and climate change in the region. The common challenges currently faced by each country in the region are to be discussed and addressed at the three-day conference, starting from March 19, including rising rates of morbidity and mortality in the poorer segment of the society caused by non-communicable and communicable diseases and malnutrition. Higher deaths among mothers and children, due largely to even preventable causes, are also issues of regional concerns included for the discussions. At their first-day gathering in the Thai capital, the regional policy-makers and health-care providers were, therefore, recommended to focus on keeping people in their respective nations healthy, instead of becoming worried over finding out measures to prevent skyrocketing costs of medical care and health services. The Geneva-based UN agency also called upon the regional parliamentarians to put more emphasis on strengthening public health workforces and using their authority to initiate strong policies to achieve equal access to public health for people in their respective areas. (TNA)