The 36th Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Meeting (CHMM36) convened on May 25 in Geneva, Switzerland attended by health ministers, representatives and senior officers from Commonwealth member countries discussing cooperation in strengthening healthcare system and preparedness to address public health emergencies.
The Sultanate was represented by Brunei Darussalam Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva Dayangku Hajah Mazlizah binti Pengiran Haji Mahalee.
The meeting was themed ‘Actionable Solutions to Build Resilience in Healthcare Systems within the Commonwealth, with an Emphasis on Small and Vulnerable States’, based on the principle of universal health coverage which is strengthening the health system to improve the resilience of countries including small and vulnerable countries from various threats of public health, in addition to maintaining access to quality essential health services.
The meeting provided a focus on opportunity to explore and facilitate high-level dialogue in more practical manner in an effort to further strengthen the system’s resilience in health among Commonwealth countries. It took into account financial resources and the available human workforce to form a robust governance structure and information systems to deal with public health threats.
The meeting discussed several agendas, namely defining the climate and health nexus and opportunities to build integrated and resilient health systems; strengthening the capacity and capabilities of the health and social care workforce for more resilient health systems; developing the Commonwealth’s position on implementing the High Level Political Declarations on UHC, Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) and TB; and enhancing health system resilience to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
The meeting ended with an agreement to approve Statement of the Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Meeting 36, which outlines priorities on the main principles, share recommendations and gain the commitment of member countries.
The meeting also prepared recommendations to be presented to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting taking place in Samoa in October. – Azlan Othman
