WHO MUST DEMONSTRATE STRONG, FIRM LEADERSHIP - MALAYSIAN PM

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- As many countries were guided by the World
Health Organisation (WHO), it must demonstrate strong and firm leadership backed
by impeccable technical competency, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun
Razak said Monday.

He said member states looked towards the WHO in providing appropriate
guidance and advice as the H1N1 pandemic was often unprecedented.

He said any responsible government would do whatever it took to protect its
people, even if the costs were daunting.

"I believe this important conference can provide the input for future global
action against pandemics and other trans-boundary diseases affecting all
countries and communities, especially developing countries.

"Indeed, the H1N1 pandemic represented the first major test on the
efficiency and relevance of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). Let
us learn from the H1N1 pandemic, evaluate the responses of the International
System to the H1N1 pandemic and equip ourselves better in facing more
challenging pandemics in the future," he said at the opening ceremony of the
61st Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific here.


Also present were WHO Deputy Director-General Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, WHO
Regional Director for Western Pacific Dr Shin Young-Soo and Health Minister
Liow Tiong Lai.

Najib said, with global warming projected to increase two to 10 times
greater than the last decade, the world was heading towards potentially
disruptive and irreversible changes to the ecosystem.

He said the Asia Pacific region, in particular, had been subjected to
challenging climate-sensitive mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, which was
the fastest emerging viral infection, and the maximum burden was borne by
countries in this region.

Therefore, he said regional and international cooperation and collaboration
were vital to mitigate the effects and reduce the impact of climate change.

"There is a need for stronger partnerships and international action in Asia
and the Pacific Region, emphasising that it is essential for the donor and
international community to maintain their commitments for aid and assistance
during the crisis period," he said.

Najib said towards this end, Malaysia had signed an agreement with the
World
Food Programme (WFP) to establish the first United Nations Humanitarian Response
Depot (UNHRD) in Asia, based in Subang, Malaysia.

He said the UNHRD in Subang, the fifth such hub in WFP's global emergency
response arsenal was designed to deliver humanitarian relief items within 48
hours of a crisis occuring.

He said another health challenge in the region was non-communicable diseases
(NCD) and according to WHO, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and chronic
respiratory diseases represented a leading threat to human health and
development.

The prime minister said the four diseases were the world's biggest killers,
causing an estimated 35 million deaths annually -- 60 per cent of all deaths
globally, with 80 per cent in low and middle income countries.

"The prevalance of NCD and NCD risk factors in Malaysia, as well as in our
Western Pacific Region, are increasing at an alarming rate," he noted.



Najib said to stay healthy, individuals needed to embrace a healthy
lifestyle, adding that it was time the people gave serious attention to the
importance of a healthy lifestyle.

He said that amongst the things, they should focus on healthier eating
choices, stay physically active and refrain from resorting to a sedentary
lifestyle.

"Non-smokers must maintain their status whilst smokers must quit smoking,"
he said.

He said in Malaysia, the health ministry would continue to enhance smart
partnerships with other government agencies and other stakeholders to further
reinforce NCD prevention and control programmes in the country.

-- BERNAMA