21 May 2023

Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti is leading a delegation attending three conferences in Geneva, Switzerland  which commenced yesterday running until June 2 .

  A ministry press release says the delegation, comprising permanent secretary Ms Grace Muzila and other senior ministry officials, will attend WHO’s Commonwealth health ministers meeting, that of the world health assembly as well as the 153rd executive board conference.

The release says the health ministers’ meeting will assess the progress of agreements reached  during the previous one as well as health-related resolutions made at the organisation’s heads of government meeting in 2022.

It will also facilitate discussions on key priorities relating to strengthening health systems in the Commonwealth, including collective recovery post COVID-19, says the release.

“The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO,” it says explaining that  the body focuses on specific items prepared by the executive board.

The release says the assembly’s main functions are to determine the organisation’s policies, supervise financial policies as well as  review and approve the proposed programme budget.

It says the meeting will focus on reorienting health systems to primary care as a resilient foundation for universal health coverage, preparedness and response to public health emergencies as well as a global strategy on digital health.

The delegation is expected back on June 5.  Ends