IAPO gears up for the 70th World Health Assembly

As health experts prepare to gather in Geneva, Switzerland to attend the biggest meeting of health stakeholders during the 70th World Health Assembly, IAPO will be stepping up engagement and advocacy for patient rights during the event.

At the event, scheduled for 22nd-27th May 2017, IAPO is proposing to hold four side events with various partners this year to celebrate WHO’s great contributions over 70 years towards eradicating and eliminating major diseases.

More importantly, the events will be marking the contribution made by WHO in promoting patient-centred health care and improving evidence-based medicine through research, policy development, technical assistance and diplomatic advocacy.

The side events will mark the beginning of patient engagement in the long march towards achieving patient-centred universal health coverage by all Member States by 2030.

Our plans include:

• Tuesday 23rd May 2017 - International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Geneva, Switzerland.  A side event to mark the contribution made by biotherapeutics to human health and their potential over the next 70 years. Co-hosted with IFPMA.  

• Wednesday 24th May 2017 - Restaurant Vieux Bois, Geneva, Switzerland. A side event convening experts on the issues of patients with Polychronic disease, aspiring to unite the health care, policy  and patient communities to address siloes between sectors and align policy agendas. Penney Cowan (Board Member and Secretary to the IAPO Board of Trustee) will speak on integrating chronic pain management with universal health coverages and Polychronic disease management strategies.

• Date to be announced - UN Palace Room IX. A side event hosted by Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF), IAPO and other NGOs concerned about blood safety in multi-transfused patients. IAPO Board Member Dr Androulla Eleftheriou, who is also the Executive Director of TIF, will lead this event.

• Date to be announced - Restaurant du Chateau de Penthes - Espace Piccard. Side event with Global Sepsis Alliance and other organizations to celebrate WHA adopting the resolution on World Sepsis Day

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.

The WHO has eradicated smallpox, nearly eliminated polio and now has controlled HIV-AIDS.

It has made a great start and inroads into preventing Non-Communicable Disease with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 2013, the world’s first international public health treaty, significantly reducing tobacco-related deaths globally.

With the International Health Regulations 2005, WHO bounced back and implemented lessons learnt with the Ebola crisis and built the Member States’ capacities to detect, assess, report and effectively deal with public health events as a global community quickly and without disruption.

Please contact info@iapo.org.uk if you will also be at the World Health Assembly, and are interested in attending these side meetings.