DILI, 04 march 2023 (TATOLI) – The World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Ministry of Health (MoH) celebrate World Health Day, in Dili, under the theme: “Health for All”.
During the celebration, both WHO and the Ministry of Health reflected on their outstanding joint achievements over the past 20 years in the health sector.
“During these times, the government and MoH – with support from WHO and partners – has made some remarkable achievements in health,” the Representative to Timor-Lest, Arvind Mathur said in his remark during the celebration of the World Health Day, in Dili, today.
Mathur said that in less than 20 years, Timor-Leste has made a stunning achievement, especially in the elimination of polio, maternal and neonatal tetanus, and measles.
“We are close to certification of Rubella and Malaria elimination and on the verge of elimination of neglected tropical diseases like Filariasis and Yaws,” he said.
“The tragic deaths of mother and babies during childbirth have substantially reduced.”
The uptake of vaccines has increased exponentially with the introduction of newer vaccines over the years- such as the recently introduced Pneumococcal Vaccine (PCV) and another Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine scheduled later in the year.
“We have rolled out an ambitious program of preventing and managing the biggest killer in Timor-Leste now – Non-Communicable Diseases like Heart diseases, aiming to put 50,000 people with Hypertension and Diabetes on standard care by 2025. This includes promoting healthy lifestyles and working incrementally to address challenges of Mental Health too,” Mathur explained.
In terms of human resource development, with WHO support, Timor-Leste has produced nearly 1,000 doctors in less than 15 years and also an overall increase in the health workforce.
WHO also supported the Ministry of Health and the government of Timor-Leste to increase taxes on tobacco by almost 5 times – on sugar and sugar-sweetened drinks and alcohol.
With the immense support of WHO, the Government has also made remarkable achievements in the fight against Covid-19 in Timor-Leste.
“Despite being a young country with a developing health system, our response to this once-in-a-generation pandemic has been nothing short of amazing! While every loss of life is a tragedy, yet, Timor-Leste’s response has been stronger than many of the bigger and richer countries,” Mathur emphasized.
Mathur reiterated WHO’s commitment to support and work alongside the government to ensure the best possible health for all our people.
The Minister of Health, Odete Maria Freitas Belo thanked WHO for its continuous commitment to supporting the Ministry of Health, especially in the last two and a half years under her leadership.
“I would like to extend my congratulations to WHO’s Arvind Mathur, and to all of us who celebrating World Health Day,” Belo said.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
