Bulletin Health Systems and Services - PAHO - September 2020
2 October, 2020
Health ministers commit to maintain, expand sustained actions to fight COVID-19 pandemic
Health ministers from countries in the Americas committed to maintain and expand sustained actions to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to continue supporting them in their fight to control it.
PAHO has led regional response to COVID-19 while striving to protect long-term health gains
PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne presented the 2020 Annual Report of the Director “Saving Lives and Improving Health and Well-Being” to health authorities from throughout the Americas who met virtually for the 58th PAHO Directing Council. The report notes that COVID-19 “has affected health, the economy, and the way of life in almost every country” in the Americas."
The Americas advanced access to health in 2019, but faces new challenges in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic
The Region of the Americas made major advances in expanding access to health in 2019 but faces new challenges in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne informed to the Organization of American States.
COVID-19 has infected some 570,000 health workers and killed 2,500 in the Americas, PAHO Director says
“We have the highest number of health care workers infected in the world,” PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne said during a press conference. “Our data shows that nearly 570,000 health workers across our region have fallen ill and more than 2,500 have succumbed to the virus.”
Ministries of health from selected countries begin preparations for the WHO “Solidarity” clinical trial for COVID-19 vaccines
Experts from the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization presented the Solidarity Clinical Trial to authorities from the ministries of health of the Americas, in a virtual meeting, held on September 24, 2020.
PAHO offers a series of virtual courses and webinars on COVID-19 for health professionals
Nine virtual courses and more than 60 webinars in Spanish and English on different aspects of COVID-19 are being offered free of charge through PAHO Virtual Campus of Public Health.
PAHO launches health worker safety campaign on World Patient Safety Day
PAHO announced the launch of a regional campaign to improve the safety of health workers, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign, which marks the observance of World Patient Safety Day, emphasizes the importance of health worker safety as a priority for patient safety.
Health systems resilience must be strengthened in the Region to better respond to public health emergencies
Countries in the Americas have been making considerable progress in improving health systems’ resilience since 2016. Still, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed structural deficiencies in health, social, and economic policies that need to be addressed to improve equity, political and social stability.
PAHO report on access to safe blood urges countries in the Region to promote voluntary non-remunerated donations
A PAHO report describes the results obtained after the implementation of the Plan of Action for Universal Access to Safe Blood for the period 2014-2019. This Plan, approved in 2014, sought to ensure safe and sufficient supplies of blood and blood products through voluntary altruistic donations, with the goal of saving lives and improving the health of patients who need transfusions.
Regulatory capacities have improved over the past decade in the Americas, but continuing efforts are needed
Countries in the Region of the Americas have significantly improved regulatory capacity systems for medicines and other health technologies, but continued effort is needed to sustain improvements, says a PAHO report.
58th Directing Council - Information Documents
