On September 5 and 6, the health ministers met in Rome to promote multilateral cooperation with a view to ending the pandemic.
During the meeting, the participants addressed issues related to the impact of the pandemic on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. What are the things that must be worked on together, how to be prepared to respond to future pandemics and what tools are necessary for it.
Epidemiological surveillance
One of the most important aspects of the meeting was health surveillance, especially epidemiological surveillance, which has been key since before the start of massive infections throughout the world. The ministers called for multisectoral collaboration to increase surveillance, strengthen prevention and preparation for possible adverse situations.
“We highlight the need to build a strong, transdisciplinary and holistic 'One Health' approach with a political commitment for long-term investment. This would enable us to strengthen and support resilient and sustainable health, social protection and food systems, and address risks arising from the human-environment interface, leveraging the technical leadership and coordinating role of WHO, the FAO, OIE and UNEP”, explains the event document.
The meeting invited the World Health Organization and Member States to collaborate among countries to improve their public health systems by strengthening surveillance and response to health emergencies.
"We welcome the update provided by the WHO on its work to establish an international pathogen surveillance network that, together with other centers, will allow the detection of variants of concern and future threats of pathogens," the document explains.
Improve primary health care
Another important aspect supported by the G20 ministers' document is primary health care, which is crucial for expanding health systems and combating the social, economic and environmental impacts that are determinant for human health.
The pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of health systems around the world and has further exposed vulnerable people, including those with chronic conditions. For this reason, it is necessary to strengthen primary care for prevention and to improve the capacities of health systems in the face of health emergencies such as the one experienced since 2020.
The importance of Digital Health
The G20 recognizes the importance of Digital Health and its advantages in:
- The improvement of health information systems and the exchange of information respecting the privacy of patients;
- The promotion of the interoperability of digital salina trias tools;
- The promotion of the training of medical personnel.
