PAHO Director Mirta Roses, and the assistant director of the Organization, Socorro Gross, met with members of the Canadian delegation to assess progress on programs established in that country in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization.

The US delegation described the strategy as a “strong contribution to public health.” Argentina said the document is of the highest quality, and all countries supported its components.

The Health Ministers of the Americas endorsed the Strategy over the use of psychoactive substances and public health promoted by PAHO’s 50th Directing Council, in order to address the problem of drug use and to create devices that reduce gaps the treatment.

Following the approach used by the Minister of Health of Brazil regarding tobacco consumption, where he states you cannot compromise on the progress made on this subject because of pressure from tobacco companies, delegates from different countries reported the following:

“There are still a few States that have not ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” stated the PAHO director and called for the countries’ efforts in that direction. She also offered the assistance of the Pan American Health Organization in this process and in strengthening the capabilities of countries to implement this international public health treaty.

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This was during the inauguration of Motherhood exhibit, presented in Washington by the Spanish Foundation “La Caixa” in the context of the Safe Motherhood Initiative, PAHO/WHO and other stakeholders. The show, she said, seeks to “awaken the conscience of all citizens.”

“In Rwanda and Bangladesh, in Barcelona, each of the images reflects a history of pain, of suffering and fear, but above all, of the greatest love that can exist between two people,” said the Infanta Cristina of Spain.

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Liga Peruana de Lucha Contra el Cáncer

The Peruvian League Against Cancer has earned the Clarence H. Moore Award for Excellence for Voluntary Service work for its work in cancer prevention.

Dra. Luisa Zanolli

Luisa Zanolli Moreno, of the University of São Paulo, was awarded the Pedro N. Acha Award for Excellence in Veterinary Public Health.

Dr. María Fatima de Sousa

Maria Fátima de Sousa, from Brazil, was awarded the Sergio Arouca Award from PAHEF and PAHO for her contribution toward strengthening her country’s health system.

Dra. Paulina Taboada

Dr. Paulina Taboada, of Chile, was awarded the Manuel Velasco Suarez Award for Excellence in Bioethics for her thesis on the respect for human rights until the twilight of one’s life.

Dr. Carlos Monteiro

Brazilian Carlos Monteiro received the Abraham Horwitz Award for Excellence in Leadership in Inter-American Health for his work on malnutrition and obesity.

Fernando Javier Sendra (Argentina)

Argentine cartoonist and humorist Fernando Sendra receives today the Champion of Health Award, given by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) for his contribution to improving health in the Americas. Sendra collaborated with PAHO with a poster that was central do the “Breastfeeding, first food of champions” campaign, carried out in 2002, 2006 and 2010 on the occasion of the soccer World Cup.

Dr. Elsa Yolanda Palou | Dra. Elsa Yolanda Palou

The Award Committee of the PAHO Award for Administration 2010, made up of Delegates of Colombia, Guatemala, and Suriname, met on 23 June during the 146th Session of the Executive Committee. After examining the documentation on the candidate nominated by Member States, the Committee decided to confer the PAHO Award for Administration 2010 on Dr. Elsa Yolanda Palou, of Honduras. This Award recognizes the substantial national and subregional impact resulting from her administrative, medical, teaching, and research activities covering the quality of care to patients with communicable diseases, especially people living with HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Benjamín Caballero

Dr. Benjamin Caballero, chair of PAHEF’s board of directors, introduced the winners of the PAHO/PAHEF awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health.

Dr. Daniel Olesker, General Director, said that in direct relation to the lessons they learned from the region’s natural disasters and the A1H1 pandemic, they will continue to work on the reforms and the development of health systems, because it will mean continued progress on the topic.

He stressed that they will delve into everything related to social participation in the system by workers and users.

Guillermo Gonzalez congratulated PAHO Director, Mirta Roses, on her annual report and the Organization’s work during the past year. “The issue of human and sanitary security is an important point, a milestone that should mark the new challenges that our governments must carry out to ensure the health of our people,” he said.

The head of the Nicaraguan delegation stressed the importance of human development. “It is essential that the people walk alongside us, becoming subjects of the interventions and help to make them sustainable over time,” he remarked, adding: “This approach will help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).”

The Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico, Concepción Longo Quiñones, thanked the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for the support it has given her country in to areas of dengue control, chronic illness, suicide prevention and the regulation of nursing practice.

Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister, Therese Baptiste-Cornelis, thanked PAHO’s support in strengthening programs and in solving the country’s critical dengue problem, which has been very a serious one, an epidemic with both social and political effects. All the more reason to establish strategies aimed at eradicating the disease. She assured: Trinidad and Tobago is committed to health and human security.

The head of the Bahamas delegation, Ambassador Cornelius Smith, considers it necessary to redouble efforts to improve environmental health in the region.

In this regard, he stressed the importance of improving the supply of potable water, more appropriate waste management, and vector management.

On the other hand, Smith said that food security is a growing problem in the region. “The frequency of contaminated food products is growing and requires collaborative efforts among Member States and other international organizations.”

He also indicated that his country is concerned about injuries due to violence in persons 15 to 34 years of age and highlighted the immunization campaigns in the Caribbean, among other topics.

The head of the Canadian delegation, Karen Dodds, congratulated PAHO for highlighting the health and the human rights of the most vulnerable groups, for progress in curbing endemic rubella, and for the strategy for health workers.

She also welcomed PAHO’s E-health strategy. “New technologies allow citizens to access health information,” she said, adding that this tool “will be of specific benefit to rural and remote communities.”

Dodds expressed concern over unhealthy lifestyles, particularly among younger children, as well as over the consumption of tobacco and of artificially flavored products. We are facing the possibility of seeing a generation that will grow with shorter and less healthier lives than their parents, she lamented. On the other hand, she encouraged countries to adapt their health services to better serve indigenous populations.

Referring to the video presented by Dr. Mirta Roses during her annual report, Mexico noted that the images speak volumes about the role played by the director.

Mexico indicated it’s committment to working with this system to continue providing health care to all its inhabitants.

The delegate referred to the Health Forum on climate change to be held in December in Cancún to implement measures to aid those affected by this problem.

Juan Manzur indicated that “the origin and extent of the threats to human security can not be subsumed within the limits set by national borders,” said the official, who advocated “for health policies and strategies that take into account international determinants.”

Manzur raised “the need to work together within our own countries with all jurisdictions, scientific associations, academia, the community itself and between the countries of the region.”

Bolivia’s Minister of Health and Sport, Dr. Nila Heredia, spoke about the new era of profound changes her country faces after having ratified a new constitution. With this came the inclusion of the population into the right to health and, for the government, a series of short and medium term tasks necessary to meet the commitments.

Bolivia has established a program for prenatal care and for maintaining a healthy child; this program, a year and a half old, has enhanced the care pregnant women receive and has clarified the situation in relation to the nutritional status of children.

Julius Timothy, Dominica’s Minister of Health and the Environment, considers that the promotion of health and human welfare in our region has never been more important, and set his country as an example, the Caribbean island where the life expectancy is 76 years and immunization coverage is broad. These achievements of health must be protected, he said.

The representative of Dominica’s Ministry of Health pointed out that the countries “have remained united against the threats of disease.”

“We currently face dengue outbreak and early response has allowed us to reduce the impact of the disease,” he said; however, he confided that the smaller island states face “serious challenges in financing health care” and called for “assistance in developing systems that allow us a better efficiency administering limited heath resources.”

English version will be available soon.