Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus has sent a letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, thanking him for championing the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR).
In the letter, dated 4 November 2022, the WHO Director-General said that the Thai government had taken the remarkable step to pilot the UHPR. “Thailand thus became one of the first countries to pilot this game-changing initiative globally and the very first country in Southeast Asia.”
He also wrote, “The pilot in Thailand has been instrumental for the development of the UHPR and a testament to your commitment to global health. The exercise highlighted some of Thailand’s critical assets: strong multisectoral coordination, universal health coverage based on robust Primary Health Care; a vibrant community of public health leaders and dedicated workforce – all committed to saving lives and promoting health, and innovative approaches to advancing health promotion and addressing the commercial determinants of health through a tax on tobacco and alcohol sales.
“At this year’s World Health Assembly, the Secretariat presented a concept note on the UHPR which was noted by all Member States and the mechanism was included in my 10 proposals to strengthen the Global Architecture for Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience.”
In the coming weeks, WHO will work to update the technical package developed, based on the learnings of the four voluntary pilot reviews undertaken thus far. In parallel, the WHO Technical Advisory Group on the UHPR is producing recommendations that will help improve and simplify its working method. “We look forward to sharing the results of these processes with you at the earliest occasion and hope you will continue to champion the UHPR,” the WHO Director-General said in his letter. (PRD)
 |
 |
 |
