In Strasbourg, during the opening of the Council of Europe Conference on Health Protection, Minister for Health and Active Ageing Jo Etienne Abela stressed that health is a fundamental right and a political priority. He emphasised the importance of strengthening families and communities to build resilience through prevention, health promotion, immunisation and social assistance.
Minister Abela also spoke about the importance of protecting healthcare workers, referring to a WHO study that shows mental health challenges among professionals and mentioning the work being carried out by our country. He also mentioned that Malta is implementing a new framework for the prevention of non-communicable diseases, with stronger regulation, education and early screening.
Dr Abela stressed the need for equity, robust governance and regulation of medical products, and the need for European cooperation, especially for small markets. He also spoke about the importance of digital health literacy which is essential for public health. This is as disinformation about vaccines, medicines and well-being can reduce trust and lead to potentially harmful behaviour. Minister Abela called for international cooperation and continued commitments to protect the health of all.
During a bilateral meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, Minister Abela discussed ways in which the Council can assist countries, especially small ones like Malta, to address challenges related to access to medicines at reasonable prices, as a fundamental right to health.
Minister Abela also visited the headquarters of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare within the Council of Europe (EDQM), which is a specialised authority in the quality of medicines on the European market, as well as aspects of health services such as blood and tissue banks and transplants. Dr Abela thanked the Directorate’s management for their indispensable work and stated that he looks forward to further cooperation related to projects that will be launched in Malta in the coming months.
Photo: MHA
