19 September 2019 - The health care system can be boosted significantly through the promotion of regional cooperation and strengthening joint actions in all the challenges, it was noted during the 69th session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee for Europe, which was held in Copenhagen.
Minister of Health Kenan Hrapović led the Montenegrin delegation during the session, which lasted from 16 to 19 September.
The first day session of the Regional Committee was committed to the work of the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the past year. Within the discussion, Minister Hrapović praised the efforts of the WHO to boost health in the world, the activities aimed at increasing access to health care and providing universal health coverage – the goals that are defined by European health policy "Health 2020" and sustainable development goals. Minister Hrapović informed the member states about activities that Montenegro implements in continuation in order to fulfil sustainable development goals when it comes to the health of the population and highlighted the significance of the primary health care. Minister of Health Hrapović recalled all the present that Montenegro is the first country of Southeast Europe that implemented the overall assessment of the primary health care capacity, based on which future courses of action are defined.
This year in July, Montenegro was the chairmanship of the South - Eastern European Health Network (SEEHN) and in that regard Minister Hrapović addressed the audience on the behalf of the nine network member states, and spoke about the regional high - quality cooperation when it comes to the health improvement and the importance of joint action, particularly when it comes to immunisation.
During the ministerial meeting, within the lectures on Leadership trough the SEEHN example, Minister Hrapović emphasised the issue and the leadership significance of the network members by which it contributes to the strengthening of the network and creating a reliable partner of the WHO. Minister Hrapović stated that all the SEEHN member states are managed by the motto "be the change you want to see" and that they first change their systems and then exchange good results and practices with other countries. The Minister pointed to the importance of leadership and constant learning and motivating others to improve their systems.
In the margins of the meeting in Copenhagen, according to the statement of the Government of Montenegro, thee delegation of the Ministry of Health of Montenegro met with the WHO Director-General – Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the WHO Deputy Director General Zsuzsanna Jakab. The meeting discussed the essential activities in order to strengthen the process of immunisation, all in the direction of preparing the meeting of small states that will be held in July 2020 in Montenegro.
