WHO/Europe has opened the new Country Office in Cyprus, following up on a commitment made in October 2022. With one of the healthiest populations in the WHO European Region, Cyprus has a great deal to offer to the work of WHO/Europe and other countries in the Region.
Speaking during the opening alongside Minister of Health Mr Michalis Hadjipantela and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Ioannis Kasoulides, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge said, “Our Region has a lot to learn from Cyprus, and due to its vital role in regional and sub-regional public health, you can imagine how pleased we are at WHO with the Cypriot Government’s invitation to open a Country Office here.”
Dr Kluge added, “A full-time WHO presence in Cyprus means we can support, as requested, various aspects of public health, as well as draw upon your vast experience and expertise. This new Country Office is to be a platform for dialogue that benefits both Cyprus and the Region as a whole.”
Joining the Regional Director, Mr Hadjipantela said, “The Cyprus Office of the World Health Organization in Larnaca will elevate the standards of health services in Cyprus and the wider Region, and is a fitting response to the expectations of our citizens, who wish to see Cyprus work closely with the world’s most respected international organization for the benefit of our most valuable commodity: health.”
As well as entrenching WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work and European Programme of Work in WHO/Europe’s work with the Government, the WHO Country Office in Cyprus will serve as a catalyst for strengthening intra- and inter-regional collaboration in areas of geopolitical importance and cross-border health security, especially communicable diseases threats from emerging and re-emerging pathogens.
Honouring health workers
During the country visit, the Regional Director also took part in an awards ceremony focused on the role of health-care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking there, Dr Kluge said, “Throughout the ages, and especially more recently through the pandemic, health workers have stayed on the frontlines tending to the sick and managing unprecedented levels of stress and grief. We salute you as you put others’ health above your own.”
As in other countries, the health workforce in Cyprus has stepped up to provide care to people during the pandemic, often at great personal risk. Dr Kluge reiterated the importance of investing in health-care systems – particularly given the challenges facing health workforces across the Region, as detailed in the 2022 WHO report “Health and care workforce in Europe: time to act”.