Minister of Health and Chief Medical Officer represents St Lucia at 75th World Health Assembly

St Lucia: The Minister for Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs Moses Jn Baptiste and the Chief Medical Officer, Sharon Belmar-George, represent St Lucia at the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, during May 22-28, 2022.

The World Health Assembly is the decision making body of World Health Organisation (WHO) and is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda.

This annual meeting functions to determine the policies of the organization, the appointment of the Director General, supervise financial policies and the approval of the program budget. This year’s World Health Assembly theme is “Health for peace, peace for health.”

The Assembly began with a high-level opening on Sunday, May 20, 2022, with presentations from the Assembly President, Heads of State, WHO Director-General and awards presentation. The main discussion items include the COVID-19 response, strengthening preparedness and response to health emergencies, chronic non-communicable diseases, International Health Regulations, Universal Health Care and Human Resources for Health. The Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus was re-appointed on Tuesday, May 24, 2022.

Minister Baptiste addressed the plenary on the second day of the conference highlighting the main health considerations for St Lucia. The Chief Medical Officer presented in many program areas, including health emergencies and chronic diseases.

The St Lucian delegation also met with the Taiwan delegation, including the Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare, Li-Feng Lee, to discuss the present cooperation between the countries and areas in health for further strengthening. Other regional meetings included CARICOM and other agencies.

The delegation will continue to ensure that the regional health priorities are placed on the global agenda and implement best practices in the country.