Report of the IFMBE Representative of the 48th WHO Western Pacific Regional Committee Meeting22 – 26 September, 1997, Sydney, AustraliaThe Western Pacific region is home to more than 1.6 billion people and the region is one of cultural and economic diversity. This diversity is reflected in the differences in basic health infrastructure and disease profile between individual countries within the region. The focus of WHO in the region has been a continuation of efforts to ensure health for as many people as possible, both in terms of an absence of disease, and in the sense of positive health. Both these areas must be given a high priority, particularly as disease prevention and health promotion measures can run against the current trend in many countries towards privatisation of large sectors of the health system. The WHO conference was attended the health ministers and advisors of the various member countries and by representatives from various government and non-government organisations. Sessions included: addresses by the director-general of WHO and by the regional director; budget planning; report on sexually transmitted disease; report on eradication of poliomyelitis; report on various country visits; report on the sub-committee responsible for the ‘Health-For-All’ strategy; reports on ‘New Horizons in Health’; ‘Overview of Australia’s Health Services’; ‘Women, Health and Development’; ‘Development of Health Research’; ‘Infant and Child Nutrition’; ‘Action Plan on Tobacco and Health’; and reports on relationships with various global committees and the World Health Assembly. While the meeting was focused on health problems and outcomes, it was important for the IFMBE to be both represented and to maintain an awareness of regional health issues, as biomedical engineering activities are central to attaining some of goals which the WHO has detailed. Some of the key issues that were discussed at the meeting are reported. One of the challenges facing the WHO is the reinforcement of the health-for-all policy in health systems that have cost effectiveness and economic efficiency as major outcome measures. Dr. Michael Woolridge, the Australian Government’s Minister for Health and Family Services, reported on the role of the general practitioner (GP) as the gatekeeper to specialist services. His thesis was that this role in the base of the health care pyramid, has been key to ensuring that the Australian health care industry can include a large private sector (33%) while not increasing greatly the percentage of GDP spent on health (8.6% of GDP on health in Australia as opposed to 15% in US). The diversity of the region means that for biomedical engineering expertise and initiatives to be efficiently utilised, they must naturally adapt or be tailored to the health problems of a particular country. For example, in the least developed countries, ensuring the continued supply of fresh water and provision of sanitation may be one principal focus of engineering input. While these countries may also benefit from hospital based biomedical engineering services, without adequate local training and support, the provision of technology would be useless. Through the provision of basic infrastructure and intensive immunisation programs, significant progress has been made in the area of disease eradication with, for example, only 21 cases of poliomyelitis being reported in the region in 1996. In contrast, the more developed countries are finding that non-communicable disease, particularly cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes is on the increase due to changing lifestyles and ageing of the population. One area that appears to have potential for broad application is in the area of information technology expertise to allow remote access to medical expertise and diagnosis (telemedicine). Indeed, telemedicine trials are being piloted in many locations involving centres in rural Australia and specialist services in hospitals. Such technology could easily be adapted and used throughout many countries in the Western Pacific, improving accessibility to healthcare in remote regions. The WHO is looking towards the 21st century, examining the shift in disease patterns with age and economic development. Key to achieving a health-for-all status into the 21st century will be an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, pursuing a human-centred approach to health development (based on the premise that people can make a difference to their own health and the health of those they influence), ensuring that strategies are sustainable, and devising policies and actions using the best available scientific data. Dr. Nigel Lovell, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, University of ew South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia. Tel: +61 293 853 922; Fax: +61 296 632 108, Mobile: 0419 627583 Email: n.lovell@unsw.edu.au | ||