Minister of Health, John Boyce. (FP)
Health Minister John Boyce has praised the Country Working Group which is drafting the Sustainable Health Agenda 2018 – 2030 for its commitment and dedication to the process.
He said that the draft document represented the shared vision for health and well-being of the countries of the Americas, and set the tone for public health work while seeking to correct disparities within and between the countries.
Mr. Boyce was today delivering the welcome address at the Third Face To Face Meeting of the Country Working Group, held at the Courtyard Marriott. Barbados and Panama serve as vice chairs of the group, which is chaired by the Vice Minister of Ecuador.
The finalised document will be presented for approval to the Ministers of Health at the 29th Pan American Sanitary Conference in September.
Mr. Boyce described the timing of the process as “excellent”, adding: “Barbados, like most of the countries represented here today, grapples with a public health contextual framework of new commitments, both at a regional and global level, changing disease profiles, competing priorities and scarce resources.”
He said the proposed agenda offered “a prime opportunity to position our countries to achieve the optimal provision of quality health care through collective action in the true spirit of Pan American solidarity”.
He told the meeting that the document set the goal of creating an environment for the development of regional public goods, and would, therefore, drive the type of sustainable development that Barbados, the rest of the Caribbean and region of the Americas must attain by 2030.