Meeting Report
Fifty-First Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe
Madrid
10-13 September
IFMBE has official relations with the World Health Organisation. The fifty-first
session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe was held in Madrid, Spain, from 10 to
13 September 2001. The session took place at the Palacio Municipal de Congresos of
Madrid.
Ministries of Health represented the 51 members of WHO Europe at the governmental
level. Representatives from intergovernmental organisations, the Council of Europe
and the European Commission, as well as the United Nations Development Programme
and World Bank were invited. Observers from the Holy See and USA and representatives
from 25 non-governmental organisations took part in the session.
The programme of the session included traditional reports from Regional Director Marc
Danzon and Standing Committees, budget discussions and organisational items.
The focus of the meeting was on the ongoing projects of WHO Europe:
- Poverty and health;
- European Alcohol Action plan, young people and alcohol.
A problem also underlined was mental health.
Two different approaches from the WHO Europe members emerged during the discussions.
The approach of western and central European countries was sometimes to criticise WHO
activity (for example, for a lack of information). The other approach, from the newly
independent states from Eastern Europe and Asia, mainly included financial problems and
applications. None of the reports or the statements from the member states paid any
attention to medical technology or medical and biological engineering (see
http://www.who.dk/RC/RC51/english.htm).
As an IFMBE representative at this meeting I had the chance to present an oral statement
in the framework of p. 6 of the Agenda "Partnership for Health". The main partners at
this round table discussion were the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the
World Bank and the UN Development Programme. The time allowed for the statements was
very short (three minutes). In the space of these three minutes I tried to give
information about plans of the IFMBE on future development of biomedical engineering
in Europe. The main points underlined were
- common objectives of WHO and IFMBE to improve the quality of life of the people
of Europe;
- membership of the in ICSU;
- need to promote medical technology in Europe and enhance its potential in
competition with USA and Japan;
- aim and objectives of the European Alliance on Biomedical Engineering and Science;
- EABMES structure as an umbrella organisation.
The discussion of statements from non-governmental organisations was excluded "on the
floor" by the rules of procedures at this meeting. A remarkable number of questions
arose after my announcement in the form of private communications. The idea of
co-operation under one umbrella organisation and especially the improvement of the
situation with regard to medical technology in Europe in competition with USA and
Japan was acceptable to several people from other non-governmental organisations.
The tragic event in New York on the second day of the session united the participants
in the condemnation of terrorism.
Hiie Hinrikus, Ph.D., D.Sc., Professor
IFMBE representative at WHO Europe
Biomedical Engineering Centre
Tallinn Technical University
E-mail: hiie@bmt.cb.ttu.ee
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