Pan American Health Organization

Mi día 3 de la #WHA79 estuvo marcado por diálogos estratégicos y espacios de intercambio para avanzar prioridades clave de salud pública en las Américas 🌎 Durante la jornada sostuve reuniones con socios y autoridades de Malaria No More, Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP), AstraZeneca y ORGANISMO ANDINO DE SALUD ORAS-CONHU, así como con representantes de España 🇪🇸, México 🇲🇽, Uruguay 🇺🇾 y Venezuela 🇻🇪. También participé en eventos organizados por la República Dominicana 🇩🇴 sobre obesidad, por Devex sobre el futuro de la OPS, y por Boston University School of Public Health junto a líderes globales para reflexionar sobre la salud global en 50 años. Las conversaciones abordaron temas prioritarios para la Región, incluyendo eliminación de la malaria y la lepra, resistencia antimicrobiana, obesidad y enfermedades no transmisibles, acceso a medicamentos y vacunas, financiamiento sostenible en salud, regulación sanitaria y fortalecimiento de la atención primaria. Seguimos reafirmando que la cooperación regional, las alianzas estratégicas y sistemas de salud más resilientes y centrados en las personas serán fundamentales para responder a los desafíos actuales y futuros. Pan American Health Organization

Every country should have the capacity to provide the health care its population needs and deserves — equitably, sustainably, and with less dependence on philanthropy and external support. I shared this reflection during a conversation at #WHA79, hosted by the Boston University School of Public Health, on “The Future of Public Health: Perspectives from Around the World,” alongside Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Dr. Francisco Songane, Interim CEO of the Africa Public Health Foundation (APHF). Our discussion explored the profound transformations shaping global public health. As global health evolves, regional organizations will become even more important. The Pan American Health Organization has served the Americas 🌎 for more than 120 years, and will remain strong 50 years from now because our work is to build national capacities to respond to the complex epidemiological scenario they face. We also need to continue transforming — becoming more agile, innovative, efficient, and even closer to countries. The future of public health will require stronger primary health care systems, better integration of social sciences into health policy, smarter and more equitable financing, and institutions capable of delivering practical, evidence-based solutions that countries can apply quickly. I remain a realistic optimist. Public expectations for health systems will continue to grow — and our collective responsibility is to ensure countries are better prepared, more resilient, and more equitable in responding to the challenges ahead.

Equitable access to medical oxygen remains one of the most urgent and defining health system challenges of our time. As a panelist on a Financing Oxygen Systems panel arranged by the Global Oxygen Alliance (GO₂AL) yesterday, I was pleased to contribute to discussions with partners that reinforced the importance of sustaining global attention and investment in oxygen systems long after the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Pan American Health Organization assumes the role of Co-Chair of GO₂AL, we do so with a strong commitment to supporting countries in building resilient, sustainable, and context-specific oxygen systems across the Americas. The diversity of health systems in the Region of the Americas has reinforced an important lesson: there is no single model for sustainable oxygen access. Solutions must respond to each country’s realities, capacities, and priorities. Across this Region, our experience has also shown that oxygen challenges are not only technological. Sustainable systems require governance, coordination, maintenance capacity, financing, and accountability across the entire continuum — from production to patient care. The Pan American Health Organization remains committed to advancing regional cooperation and technical collaboration so that equitable access to medical oxygen becomes a reality across all health systems in our Region. #WHA79 #HealthEquity #HealthforAll #MedicalOxygen #PAHO

Obesity is not only about individual choices. It reflects inequities, unhealthy food environments, limited access to prevention and care, and the broader social determinants of health. Addressing it requires integrated, equitable, and people-centered approaches grounded in primary health care. At the #WHA79, I joined leaders and partners in a high-level dialogue on obesity during a side event convened by the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴. The discussion highlighted obesity as one of the defining public health challenges of our time and a growing threat to the sustainability of health systems across the Americas. In our Region, 68% of adults live with overweight or obesity, while childhood obesity rates are the highest of all World Health Organization's regions. The consequences are already visible in rising rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancers, as well as in growing economic and social costs. The evidence is clear: policies such as front-of-package warning labels, taxes on sugary drinks, healthier school food environments, and promotion of physical activity work. We must also strengthen integrated care for obesity and other NCDs through primary health care and initiatives such as HEARTS, while reducing stigma and expanding access to effective prevention and treatment, including innovative therapies when appropriate. At the Pan American Health Organization, we remain committed to supporting countries in building stronger and more equitable health systems that put people at the center and accelerate action against obesity and other noncommunicable diseases. #NCDs