Skopje - The Second Health Ministers' Forum for Health Development Action in South Eastern Europe in Skopje today (26 November) saw Ministers of Health reiterate their commitment to an ambitious programme of long-term regional co-operation.
Regional cooperation in the area of health was launched four years ago with the signing of the Dubrovnik Pledge, where SEE countries committed themselves to co-operate on several public health issues, such as mental health, communicable diseases and blood safety. Today, Ministers took this co-operation to the next level by adopting the Skopje Pledge that foresees even deeper and longer-term co-operation among the countries of the region. A particular highlight of the Forum was the huge emphasis placed by participants on the impact of health policy and reforms on the economy, especially on labour force productivity - so vital for the economic development of the region. Ministers of Health of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and their colleagues from the Ministries of Finance, who also attended the Forum and took part in this discussion, unanimously agreed that public expenditure in health should not be seen as a cost, but as investment for the future.
Addressing the Second Health Minister's Forum, Deputy Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Michael C. Mozur highlighted the remarkable achievements of SEE Health Network and stressed that: "Few of the initiatives undertaken in the context of the Stability Pact have as great a potential impact on people's daily lives as does this initiative. This is an important agenda and one that we must drive with great energy, commitment and creativity."
The SEE Health Network brings together Health Ministries of the SEE countries, under the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, the Council of Europe, also supported by the Council of Europe Development Bank and operates under the auspices of the Initiative for Social Cohesion of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.
Attachment:
For further information, please contact Stability Pact's Spokesperson
Mr Dragan Barbutovski at the SP Secretariat in Brussels
(Tel: +32 2 401 87 25 or press@stabilitypact.org).
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PR2005/026
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