WHO member states adopt Astana Declaration on PHC
"The global conference held today in Astana is a unique event organized once or twice in a century. In 1978, despite the diversity of political views, the nations of the entire world signed and adopted the Almaty Declaration. At the time, all countries for the first time were discussing outpatient clinics' role for the population. Since then, a number of challenging issues have arisen in the healthcare sector," Ainur Aiypkhanova, Head of the National Center for Health Development under the Kazakh Ministry of Health, told reporters.
According to her, the global life expectancy is currently increasing, and this, in turn, places certain obligations upon governments. Back in the day, many people suffered from infectious diseases, while in the 21st century, people suffer from chronic non-communicable diseases. Life expectancy is rising, whereas the quality of life is decreasing. In addition, the world is now experiencing climate change, and environmental pollution is also harmful to health. The Astana Declaration was adopted to tackle all of the above-mentioned problems.
"The Astana Declaration is of great significance as it was signed by all of the world's health organizations and all states. The document was adopted without a hitch. Not a single country stated that it disagrees with the rules of the declaration. The new declaration was discussed in Geneva under Kazakhstan's chairmanship, and we obtained the consent of all states," said Aiypkhanova.
It is to be recalled that the Global Conference on Primary Health Care was held in Astana with the participation of health leaders and experts of many countries. The participants include WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Faure, and Director of WHO's Regional Office for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab.