The Minister for Health & Medical Services, Hon Jone Usamate will represent Fiji at the second meeting of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States Ministers for Health in Brussels, Belgium.
Health Ministers from the ACP States are scheduled to meet at the ACP House in Brussels from 25 to 26 February 2015, under the theme, “Reflecting on ACP Cooperation Objectives in Health in the context of the post-2015 Development”.
The Ministers are expected to evaluate the achievements with respect to the 2000 Millennium Declaration and its associated Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which remains a formidable global development framework. Whilst there has been demonstrable progress in many ACP Countries, including Fiji, with respect to the health related MDGs 4, 5 and 6 (i.e. Reduce child mortality; Improve maternal health; and Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases), much still need to be done beyond 2015 to sustain the gains that have been made and to ensure Universal Health Coverage across the populations of ACP countries.
The Ministers will deliberate on the strategies for ACP Cooperation in the post-2015 Development Agenda, which should continue to address and enhance the interventions that target the universal health coverage of the disadvantaged and most vulnerable in our societies.
The meeting will focus particularly on viral epidemics such as Ebola and formulate appropriate ACP cooperation strategies and programmes aimed at strengthening preventative and control measures in the event of such outbreaks.
Health being central to sustainable development, the Ministers will underscore the need for an over-arching health goal being prominently positioned as part of the new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the context of the post-2015 Development Agenda.
The meeting will also address measures and actions to improve the availability, affordability and use of safe, effective and quality assured medicines in ACP States.
Minister Usamate will be accompanied by the Ministry’s Deputy Secretary Dr. Eric Rafai.
DEPTFO