SEE Health Network gains visibility at the European Health Policy Forum for High-Level Government Officials in Andorra la Vella, Andorra, 9–11 March 2011

The SEE Health Network gained unprecedented visibility and importance as a leader of the sub regional cooperation in SEE, at the WHO European Health Policy Forum for High-Level Government Officials held in Andorra la Vella, Andorra on 9–11 March 2011.

The representative of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Network made a Joint statement on behalf of the Network during the session on strengthening public health capacities and services in Europe where systematic approach to public health operations and services: “Towards positive coordination with health care and other sectors” was debated.

The Minister of Health of Moldova, Dr. Andrei Usatii, who chaired the session on coordinating policy action among WHO Member States and Partners towards developing European Action Plan on Noncommunicable Diseases, spoke on behalf of the SEE countries in support to the endorsement of the plan and development of further work in this area. He stressed that the Third Ministerial Forum of the Ministers of Health in SEE (Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, October, 2011), with participation of high level policy makers from other health related sectors, will be focussed on implementation of HiAP approach in SEE and will held special session to shape the response of the SEEHN Member States to noncommunicable diseases.

All interventions of Republic of Macedonia, taking both from national and sub-regional perspectives, pointed out the importance of the SEE Health Network as instrumental to cross fertilizing European and SEE developments in public health, especially towards implementation of the Tallinn Charter commitments and in developing European Health Policy “Health 2020”. The Chair of the Executive Committee of the SEEHN was part of delegation of this country.

Ms. Zsuzsanna Jakab, Regional Director of WHO Europe emphasized, especially in her concluding remarks, the strong role and importance of the SEE Health Network, that is has and will play in public health developments not only in SEE, but also in Europe, through its activities related to the European policies development and implementation.

SEE Health Network was clearly embedded into the European Health Policy Forum as a key partner for better health in Europe.