India along with 10 other member countries of WHO's South-East Asian Regional Committee has decided to set up a dedicated fund aimed at building preparedness for health emergencies in the region.
Taking part in the 69th session of WHO Regional Committee Meeting at Colombo, they also passed a resolution for promoting physical activity and expanding health workforces across the region.
"To date, post-disaster funding through South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund has done an excellent job in helping countries respond to health emergencies once those have occurred, as we saw most recently in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
"The new funding stream will allow countries to invest in infrastructure and human resources that will enhance preparedness," said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia.
In the recent years, earthquakes, cyclones and floods have caused health emergencies in south-east Asian region and it has also been threatened by a range of emerging diseases, including SARS, MERS CoV, pandemic influenza and Zika virus.
Establishing a joint funding stream under the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) to help countries better prepare for such events was seen by the countries as a key priority for the regional health agenda.
"Enhancing health security is a critical component of our public health mission and a core part of WHO's work in the South-East Asia Region.
"The new funding stream for emergency preparedness established by member countries is an expression of the solidarity shared within the Region, as well as recognition that preparedness is less costly than response," Singh said.
Another resolution passed by the session was promoting physical activity. Insufficient physical activity is a major contributor to rising rates of non-communicable diseases in the region, with four-fifth of adolescents not getting enough of it.
The session also passed a resolution on strengthening
health workforce which is vital for achieving universal health coverage - a key part of the Sustainable Development Goal of "leaving no one behind".
At present, the density of health care providers in the region is 12.5 per 10,000 persons, which is less than the WHO recommended minimum of 44.5 per 10,000 persons.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda, while making an intervention at the meeting, had said India is "grappling" with shortage of health workforce while high rate of tobacco use is contributing to the rise in non-communicable diseases.
He had said India is "alive" to these challenges and committed to addressing those.
"Expanding health workforces across the Region is one part of what countries in the Region are trying to achieve. But we also need to increase staff retention, particularly in rural areas, as well as provide further training to health workers to enhance their skills," Singh said.
The Regional Committee is WHO South-East Asia Region's highest decision-making body.
The region comprises 11 countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
