PAHO Director meets with Minister of Health of Canada to discuss ongoing collaboration with the country – PAHO/WHO

Ottawa, Canada, April 11, 2024 (PAHO) – During an official visit to Canada this week, the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, met with the country’s Minister of Health, Mark Holland, as well as other senior officials. world health officials, to discuss ongoing collaboration to improve quality of life and health in the Americas.

In his meeting with the Minister of Health, Dr. Barbosa highlighted the pressing health problems in the Americas, including the treaty on pandemics, and the chronic shortage of health personnel in the region, which is projected to reach up to 2 million professionals by 2030. The PAHO Director also highlighted the importance of the Organization’s Regional Revolving Funds to help reduce costs and increase the availability of quality vaccines and other health technologies, particularly in a post-pandemic context.

«This visit has allowed us to strengthen our current collaboration and outline new opportunities for engagement, leveraging Canadian knowledge and experience,» said Dr. Barbosa.

During his visit, the PAHO Director also met with the Minister of International Development of Canada, Ahmed Hussen, to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and other social determinants, as well as the need to ensure programs to sustain and protect health advances in the Americas.

In dialogue with the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Ya’ara Saks, officials recognized the rebound in mental health problems after the COVID-19 pandemic, which is estimated at a 35% increase in major depressive disorders in Latin America and the Caribbean. . They also explored ways to increase joint work, including in the implementation of the PAHO Strategy to improve mental health and suicide prevention in the Americas region.

Indigenous populations of the Americas were high on the agenda at a meeting with the Director General of the Bureau of Population and Public Health and the Chief Scientific Officer of the First Nations and Inuit Health Brand of Indigenous Services Canada, Tom Wong. Dr. Barbosa highlighted the unique health challenges faced by Indigenous communities in the region and discussed potential opportunities for PAHO and Canada to support Indigenous-led efforts to address health inequities.

During his official visit, Dr. Barbosa also met with the Director General of the Office of International Affairs of the Health Portfolio of the Public Health Agency, Christine Harmston; the president of the Senate Permanent Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Peter M. Boehm; the Director General of the Office of Health and Nutrition, Jean Bernard Parenteau; Deputy Deputy Minister of the Health Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of Health Canada; among other officials.

On Tuesday, April 9, Dr. Barbosa signed a agreement with the University of Ottawa to promote exchange and technical cooperation on projects related to capacity development, research and knowledge transfer on the health and other related rights of Indigenous Peoples.