Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Thank you to all of you for the discussion today, and to the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia for the opportunity to participate in this discussion.
As you know, COVID-19 is an unprecedented health crisis that demands an unprecedented response.
I have said repeatedly that the most important ingredients are national unity and regional and global solidarity.
It is clear to see that regional solidarity is strong in the South-East Asia region.
Although your region has suffered and is still suffering, it’s encouraging to see you are coming together to confront the pandemic as one.
Globally, more than 27 million cases of COVID-19 have now been reported to WHO, and almost 900 000 deaths.
In South-East Asia, today marks a grim milestone, with more than 5 million cases reported. On current trends, the region will pass 100 000 deaths in the next 10 days.
The true cost is likely to be significantly higher.
The spread of COVID-19 has impacted nearly every community, overwhelmed health systems, and disrupted economies and livelihoods, with effects reaching far beyond the health sector.
It has also disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable.
WHO recently surveyed countries to understand better the priorities of countries in the South-East Asia region.
At the top of the agenda is maintaining essential health services.
Our surveys show that critical services have been suspended, including routine immunization, diagnosis and treatment for noncommunicable diseases, family planning and more.
More than half of countries in the region have limited or suspended outpatient, inpatient and community-based service delivery platforms, and mobile clinic services.
Many countries also reported disruptions in emergency and critical services.
As I have said before: the best defence against any outbreak is a strong health system.
WHO is committed to supporting our Member States in maintaining and strengthening essential health services, in three key ways:
First, immediate adjustments to ensure continuity of essential services, including working with regional focal points to provide support to countries;
Second, building medium-term response across society, based on the “Health First” approach of the Socio-Economic Response Plan;
And third, implementing a specialized approach to service delivery for fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings under the Global Humanitarian Response Plan.
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The survey also showed that your second priority is learning from each other, as each country has valuable experiences to share.
To meet that need, WHO is developing a web-based “Health Services Learning Hub”, that will allow countries to share experiences and learn from each other.
Another priority is telemedicine, which is making a resurgence in the region in light of the COVID-19 response.
WHO is promoting telemedicine as a means to deliver more essential services during this time.
We are helping Ministries of Health to mainstream telemedicine as it becomes an integral part of the new normal, and supporting our Member States to adapt rules and regulations to make effective use of this technology.
Another priority is health workforce strengthening. It goes without saying that our health workforce is at the core of everything we do.
This is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, but we have to honour and support all of our health workers every day of every year.
The pandemic has put an enormous strain on health workers all over the world, and many have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving others.
Globally, around 14% of COVID-19 cases reported to WHO are among health workers, and in some countries it can be as much as 35%, although data are limited.
One in 4 frontline health workers worldwide have suffered depression and anxiety, with nurses at especially high risk.
It’s vital that health workers have a safe and dignified workplace, and have the pay, the training, and the equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.
To mark World Patient Safety Day next week, we are focusing on health worker safety as a prerequisite for patient safety.
WHO will launch a charter for health worker safety, urging Member States and all partners and stakeholders to commit to health worker safety as a priority for patient safety.
We will also be issuing a range of advocacy, policy and technical products for countries, and 5 patient safety goals to promote safety measures in health facilities.
I am pleased to see that the safety of health workers and patients is included in the Ministerial Declaration you will adopt shortly.
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Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Thank you once again for your commitment to saving lives.
The Ministerial Declaration is a strong statement of regional solidarity.
I will leave you with four essential priorities that we believe countries must focus on to control COVID-19 so they can reopen their societies, economies and borders in the coming weeks and months:
First, prevent amplifying events through a risk-based, local approach. In some places, this might mean suspending mass gatherings; in others it might mean limiting them, or finding creative ways to hold them safely.
Second, reduce deaths by protecting essential workers and the most vulnerable groups, including older people and those with underlying conditions.
Third, empower and educate individuals and communities to protect themselves and others by using physical distancing, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and masks – not in isolation but together.
And fourth, focus on the public health basics: find, isolate, test and care for cases, and trace and quarantine their contacts.
Above all, we must continue to work together in a spirit of solidarity.
In the coming months, we hope to have good news about a vaccine.
But once we have an effective vaccine, we must ensure it is used effectively.
As the representative of Myanmar said, our priority must be to vaccinate some people in all countries, not all people in some.
The COVAX Facility is the agreed international mechanism for ensuring equitable access to vaccines.
I thank those countries that have expressed interest in joining COVAX, and I urge those of you that have not yet joined to do so by the 18 September 2020.
COVAX is solidarity in action. This virus thrives on division, but together we will defeat it.
I thank you.