SI Health Minister Hon. Dr Culwick Togamana praised WHO for 75 years of international collaboration to improve health and well-being of humankind.

Delivering Solomon Islands statement during the General Statement plenary session, for all member state countries at the World Health Assembly meeting, Geneva Switzerland, Health Minister Hon. Dr Culwick Togamana praised WHO for 75 years of international collaboration to improve health and wellbeing of human kind while highlighting that Solomon Islands looks forward to new opportunities in the next decades to address health challenges of today and towards the future.

In his statement Dr Togamana highlighted that Solomon Islands joins other members states in celebrating and commemorating WHO’s 75 years anniversary in which he described as 75 years of great international collaboration with tremendous effort to improve health and wellbeing of the humankind.

“For 75 years countries came and stood together to fight diseases, harmful substance, habits and practices, environment and socioeconomic factors that prevent children from reaching adulthood, stop young people from attaining their full potential and lead the adult population to premature deaths”,

“The eradication of small pox in 1980 to the recent COVID-19 pandemic response and the many advances and achievements in between have all demonstrated the need to strengthen health systems in member states and improve linkages between WHO and other development agencies at regional and country level”, stated Dr Togamana.

Health Minister Delivering Country Statement at the World Health Assembly Meeting, General Discussions Plenary Session

Having said that, the Minister uttered words of appreciation to the current Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and all other Director Generals before him for their leadership in leading WHO which he described as a magnificent  organization over the past 75 years and acknowledged that Solomon Islands has been benefiting much from WHO since it officially became a member in 1983.

The Health Minister also used the occasion to highlight progress of WHO presence in Solomon Islands from only a Country Liaison Office in 1981 to now a WHO Country Representative Office since 2012 while stating that WHO has played an important role in the facilitation of health reform in Solomon Islands.

“As a key technical development partner, WHO has in recent time, supporting Solomon Islands in developing a new health administration policy, which will guide health reform priorities, including legislative reforms, in Solomon Islands.   The success we enjoy today is a result of partnership at all levels and across sectors as health, as defined by WHO, can only be achieved through a holistic and all of society approach”, said Dr Togamana.

Dr Togamana concluded that while Solomon Islands appreciate and acknowledge the public health successes and achievements by WHO the last seven decades, Solomon Islands looks forward to new opportunities in the next decades to address health challenges of today and towards the future’, Thank you WHO and thank you Mr. President”.

-MHMS Press