From 25 until 28 October, the World Health Organization’s Regions for Health Network organized its 26th annual meeting in Moscow. The program was jam-packed with interesting topics for discussion and inspiring speakers from European regions, institutions, and organizations, who shared their views, experiences, and lessons learned.
More specifically, participants discussed priorities for RHN member countries regarding COVID-19 recovery and the linkage between climate action and people’s health and well-being, as well as how to strengthen the vision and commitment of the Network in the face of future health and environmental challenges. Among the themes, great attention was paid to the long-term consequences of COVID-19 on health systems, the importance of strengthening primary health and social care, mental health, the need for a One Health Approach, food safety, technology and innovation, and prioritizing climate-related action at territorial level.
EUREGHA had the pleasure of contributing on 28 October, day four of the annual meeting, to a panel sharing the perspectives on the future of the RHN. Our Chair, Mr. Giovanni Gorgoni, said: “Over the past ten years, we have increasingly understood how health, as a backbone of the community integrity, must pass through assiduous dialogue between regional authorities. COVID-19 was the proof in that sense. I want to emphasize three cornerstones to improve health care systems: ecosystem as a paradigm in designing policy, meant both as natural and climatic ecosystem to be protected, and as a social, cultural, and productive ecosystem; cross-border cooperation, considering proximity as a point of strength; and value-based healthcare.”
At the end of this 4-day marathon, regions agreed on steering the Network towards a more operational and formalized structure, investing in strengthening leadership and governance competencies in and across regions, and strengthening its evidence-based approach.
All sessions were recorded and broadcasted online, to re-watch any of the days, please use the button below. There are summaries from all four days available through the buttons as well.
