PAHO presents key recommendations to increase equitable access to health at G20 event in Brazil – PAHO/WHO
Brasilia, April 15, 2024 – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently presented a series of recommendations at the G20 events in Brazil to strengthen equity in access to digital health, expand innovation and the production of technologies health, address antimicrobial resistance and increase investment in health. and ensure greater retention of the health workforce in the countries and territories of the Americas.
Digital Health
At the first thematic meeting on April 7, PAHO advocated for expanding equitable access to digital health, including through the exchange of knowledge, resources and tools. At the meeting the following day, April 8, the organization highlighted the need to strengthen public policies and regulatory frameworks on the use of telehealth, participate in the co-creation of digital public goods, and implement digital literacy programs for healthcare professionals. health, among others. .
Marcelo D’Agostino, head of PAHO’s Digital Health and Information Systems Unit, praised Brazil for its solidarity in sharing digital health knowledge, resources and tools. «The only way to achieve success is to work together as a network,» he said. «Every country has something to share and learn,» he said.
He highlighted the conversations he held with countries and territories of the Americas to identify priority topics for joint work with PAHO to expand telehealth, as a tool to reach all people, without leaving anyone behind. «It is essential – and Brazil is an example of this with its iconic project in the Amazon – to understand the sociocultural contexts when focusing on the application of any type of digital solution,» she stressed.
PAHO also drew attention to the unique challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where the focus on digital transformation in public health must be adapted to address limited resources, vulnerability to natural disasters, and geographic isolation.
Health financing
In another event on April 8, focused on investments in digital health, PAHO Director of Health Systems and Services, James Fitzgerald, highlighted the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas (AxAPS), which the Organization signed with the Inter-American Development Bank. (IDB) and the World Bank in December of last year. «This Alliance will promote, increase and improve the quality of investments in primary health care in the Americas, including digital health,» said Fitzgerald.
The issue of the health debt mechanism was addressed in a session the following day. The high level of debt is one of the factors that can prevent countries from investing adequately in health and limit the possibilities for action. «PAHO will continue working with the countries’ Ministries of Health and Finance and with international financial institutions to improve the availability and quality of health financing in the Americas,» Fitzgerald said.
Antimicrobial resistance
In another G20 session on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), PAHO highlighted leading initiatives to increase regional collaboration to identify gaps and coordinate efforts to more effectively address AMR.
The unique challenges and opportunities of Latin America and the Caribbean, including the varied climates, socioeconomic conditions and health systems, as well as existing industrial and regulatory capacities, offer a rich context for understanding the complexities of antimicrobial resistance and the needs to adapt interventions to the situation. specific needs of each location.
Innovation and production
On April 10, the Pan American Health Organization supported Brazil’s proposal to create an alliance for local and regional innovation and production of health technologies, which will be led by the G20.
«The Alliance proposed by the Brazilian G20 presidency could promote favorable political and legal environments and comprehensive ecosystems for equitable access, innovation and production, in order to guarantee public return on these investments,» said Judit Rius Sanjuan, Director of Innovation, Access to Medicines and Health Technologies at PAHO.
He also reiterated the Organization’s commitment to continue strengthening production, innovation, and equitable and sustainable access to health technologies, including through PAHO Regional Revolving Funds for the joint acquisition of vaccines, medicines, and other health supplies. .
Staff
On the last day of the meeting, held on Thursday (04/11), PAHO presented the Organization’s Health Workforce Policy for 2030, as well as recommendations to ensure greater equity in the distribution of health professionals In the americas.
A major challenge in the region is the migration of healthcare workers to higher-income countries and territories due to higher salaries and better working conditions. «Caribbean countries need special attention, as the availability of services has already been affected as a result of the active recruitment of specialized nursing professionals outside the country,» said PAHO Director of Health Systems and Services, James Fitzgerald.
For the PAHO Director of Health Systems and Services, higher and lower income countries must work together to address this issue, including by investing in career plans, interprofessional practice and digital literacy.
«PAHO’s Virtual Campus, for example, has been strengthening public health capacities for more than 20 years. Today, more than 3.2 million health professionals are participating on the campus,» Fitzgerald said, adding that This initiative is also one of the strategies to take advantage of Digital Health in the Americas.
G20
The Group of Twenty (G20) is an international economic cooperation forum made up of 19 countries (South Africa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, United States, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Russia and Turkey) and two regional organizations: the African Union and the European Union. The G20 presidency is currently held by the Brazilian government.
