Malta is committed to continuing to align with Hungary’s declaration on behalf of the EU and the Member States in relation to a number of initiatives in the health sector.
The Minister for Health and Active Aging Jo Etienne Abela is in Denmark where he is attending the 74th session of the ‘WHO Regional Committee for Europe’ where various themes are being discussed, including access to medicines, -mental health, digital health and strengthening human resources for health.
During the meeting, Minister Abela reaffirmed Malta’s commitment to continue to align with Hungary’s declaration on behalf of the EU and the Member States in relation to these initiatives in the health sector. strength. In his interventions, Minister Abela stressed that the initiative of the Small Countries regarding the platform of new medicines is very important as it offers support to the countries in this regard for the urgent and collective investment in strengthening health systems.
Minister Abela also spoke on initiatives for the provision of better health care which are essential to achieve better results and to ensure health security. He stressed that in the same way, strengthening the capacity of the WHO is also important to ensure that investments in health are robust, long-term and inclusive. The Minister said how our country will join with several other countries with financial support to support important programs and initiatives in the European Region, including in digital health, in the initiative of small countries and in the platform of new medicines. “Access to medicines remains at the forefront of our agenda as we continue to engage in efforts with other Member States through the Small Countries Network,” stressed Minister Abela.
He mentioned how in this regard our country hosted the counterparts of Cyprus in Malta where discussions continued which should lead to effective treatments at reasonable prices and in a timely manner for the citizens of both countries. Minister Abela also stressed the importance of strengthening the help that the health systems should give to their employees. He said that the mental health of the employees is crucial so that the patient receives the best necessary care.
The Minister concluded by saying that it was an honor that our country hosted the technical group of Human Resources for Health of the WHO Small Countries Initiative during the last days, and he looks forward to the next year our country will also host the 3rd Digital Health Summit.
Photo: MHA
