[Press-releases] SPC Press Release: Putting people first and responding to health issues in a holistic manner

[Nicole Gooch]

SPC press release

 

Putting people first and responding to health issues in a holistic
manner

 

Wednesday 15 November 2006, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC),
36th Committee of Representatives of the Governments and Administrations
(CRGA) - Day three of CRGA is about strategically positioning SPC (the
Secretariat of the Pacific Community) to provide solutions to challenges
in the region. One of the major challenges is health. Today, SPC member
delegates endorsed a proposal to develop a health strategy for the
Pacific Islands region that will help address issues in a more holistic
manner.

 

"We need to look beyond the 'disease-driven' approach to include other
areas and take stock of the challenges to health, many of which may
actually be outside the health sector. Other challenges include, for
instance, societal issues, health workforce planning, health legislation
and health policy," said Dr Jimmie Rodgers, SPC Director-General.

 

Dr Rodgers noted that the new overarching health strategy for the
Pacific will serve to pool resources and increase aid effectiveness by
aligning and harmonising all stakeholders' approaches and work plans.
The strategy will also help to better integrate other issues related to
health, such as gender issues and HIV, through cross-sectoral common
approaches.

 

A model of donor coordination and alignment in the health sector that
serves as an example of good practice for the new Health Strategy for
the Pacific Islands Region is the Pacific Regional HIV/AIDS Strategy.
The Pacific Health Fund, which was discussed in Palau at SPC's Pacific
Community Conference last year, will function as the financing mechanism
for the overarching health strategy. 

 

Regional authorities including the World Health Organization, the
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), NZAID and SPC have formed a
technical working group to develop the concept paper of the regional
health strategy. SPC will take the lead in further developing the
concept paper for the Pacific Health Fund. Both papers will be presented
to the March 2007 meeting of Pacific Ministers of Health in Vanuatu.

 

For more information, contact Nicole Gooch, HIV & STI Communications
Officer, SPC, via email: NicoleG at spc.int or by phone: +687 26 67 71 

Papers of the meeting are available on SPC's website: www.spc.int
<BLOCKED::http://www.spc.int/> .

 

SPC member countries and territories: American Samoa, Australia, Cook
Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, France, French
Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New
Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea,
Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, United
States of America, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

 

 

 

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