Vaccination from public health achievements to challenges and obstacles workshop

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SEEHN Representation at the Meeting

9-10 May 2019, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Under European Council Mandate Romania is holding a Meetingnon Vaccination: From Public Health Achievements to Challenges and Obstacles, innCluj-Napoca.

The meeting is an excellent opportunity for commonndiscussions, exchange of information and data sharing, with variety ofnstakeholders as government representatives, academia, UN Agencies, WHO, EC,nECDC, etc., since, decrease of vaccination coverage over years and re-emergencenof vaccine preventable diseases has become a global, regional and nationalnchallenge.

Vaccine hesitance is identified as one of the most importantnreasons for decrease in vaccination coverage and this topic needs to be tacklednin a complex and comprehensive way, at all levels and translated into languageneveryone understands.

Tailored Immunization programs are one of the solutionsnproposed by WHO.

SEEHN is promoting alliances and partnerships by connectingncountries, as another solution, at the SEE Regional level.

It is evident that national authorities need support innorder to best address vaccination issues to keep its population safe.

SEEHN Secretariat Director meets with the SEEHN Chair of Executive Committee

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Belgrade May 8th,2019

Dr. Mira Jovanovski Dasic, Director of SEEHN Secretariat had today a productive meeting with Dr. Danijela Urosevic, Chair of SEEHN Executive Committee and National Health Coordinator SRB at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia in Belgrade, to discuss current important SEEHN topics and the organization of the forthcoming 41st Plenary meeting to be held in Skopje, North Macedonia on 20-21 June 2019.

World Immunization Week 2019

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24 – 30 April 2019

Theme: #VaccinesWork

WorldnImmunization Week – celebrated in the last week of April – aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all agesnagainst disease. Immunization saves millions of lives every year and isnwidely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effectivenhealth interventions. Yet, there are still nearly 20 million unvaccinated andnunder-vaccinated children in the world today.

The thementhis year is Protected Together:nVaccines Work!, and the campaign will celebrate Vaccine Heroes from aroundnthe world – from parents and community members to health workers and innovatorsn– who help ensure we are all protected through the power of vaccines.

Vast progress but fragile gains.

In 2017,nthe number of children immunized – 116.2 million – was the highest evernreported. Since 2010, 113 countries have introduced new vaccines, and more thann20 million additional children have been vaccinated.

Butndespite gains, all of the targets for disease elimination—including measles,nrubella, and maternal and neonatal tetanus—are behind schedule, and over thenlast two years the world has seen multiple outbreaks of measles, diphtheria andnvarious other vaccine-preventable diseases. Most of the children missing outnare those living in the poorest, marginalized and conflict-affectedncommunities.

In ordernfor everyone, everywhere to survive and thrive, countries must intensifynefforts to ensure all people receive the lifesaving benefits of vaccines.nAdditionally, those countries that have achieved or made progress towards thengoals must work to sustain the progress they have made.

2019 campaign objectives

The main goal of the campaign is to raisenawareness about the critical importance of full immunization throughout life

As part ofnthe 2019 campaign, WHO and partners aim to:

Demonstratenthe value of vaccines for the health of children, communities and the world.

Highlightnthe need to build on immunization progress while addressing gaps, includingnthrough increased investment.

Show hownroutine immunization is the foundation for strong, resilient health systems andnuniversal health coverage.

Why immunization matters?

Expandingnaccess to immunization is vital for achieving the Sustainable DevelopmentnGoals, poverty reduction and universal health coverage. Routine immunizationnprovides a point of contact for health care at the beginning of life and offersnevery child the chance at a healthy life from the earliest beginnings and intonold age.

Immunizationnis also a fundamental strategy in achieving other health priorities, fromncontrolling viral hepatitis, to curbing antimicrobial resistance, and providingna platform for adolescent health and improving antenatal and newborn care.

Key messages

We neednthe help of all heroes everywhere to reach the 1 in 10 kids who still do notnhave access to vaccines.

At allnages, vaccines save lives. They protect our children and they protect us all asnadults.

Vaccinesnmean lives lived – they mean a brighter future for our children and theirs toncome.

We cannensure vaccines reach the people that need them most. You can be a vaccinenhero.

Ensure youn& your family are vaccinated on time, every time

Travelling?nKnow before you go – ensure your family’s vaccines are up to date.

Be anvaccine champion – Talk to people about the benefits of vaccines. Vaccines savenlives, help children learn & grow, & prevent serious illness &ndisability.

Know thenfacts. Any licensed vaccine has been rigorously tested before use to make surenit is safe and effective for you and your family.

Healthnworkers: Every check up is an opportunity to check in on vaccination, for ✓nchildren, ✓ youth, ✓ adults, ✓ the elderly

Upcoming events

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World Health Day, 7 April 2019

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Key messagesn

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• Health is a human right; it’s time for health for all.

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• We know universal health coverage is possible, let’s make it happen!

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• Universal health coverage means that all people have access to the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.

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• At least half of the people in the world do not receive the health services they need.

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• About 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty each year because of out-of-pocket spending on health.

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• But who are these people and how can we help them? To get a better picture of who is missing out, we need data that is broken down by gender, age, income, location, education and other factors that affect access to health services.

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• Health is a human right; everyone should have the information and services they need to take care of their own health and the health of their families.

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• Quality, accessible primary health care is the foundation for universal health coverage.

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• Unsafe and low-quality health care ruins lives and costs the world trillions of dollars every year, we must do more to improve the quality and safety of health services globally.

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• Primary health care should be the first level of contact with the health system, where individuals, families and communities receive most of their health care—from promotion and prevention to treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care—as close as possible to where they live and work.

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• At its heart, primary health care is about caring for people and helping them improve their health or maintain their well-being, rather than just treating a single disease or condition.

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• Primary health care covers the majority of your health needs throughout your life including services such as screening for health problems, vaccines, information on how to prevent disease, family planning, treatment for long- and short-term conditions, coordination with other levels of care, and rehabilitation.

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• Primary health care is a cost-effective and equitable way of delivering health services and helping countries make progress towards universal health coverage.

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• A health system with strong primary health care delivers better health outcomes, is cost-efficient and improves quality of care.

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• Health workers have a crucial role to play educating patients on how to take care of their health, coordinating care and advocating for their patients’ needs to health facility managers and policy-makers.

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• Primary health-care workers have a continuing and trusted relationship with their patients and know their health history; knowing the full picture helps improve their care and saves money.

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• Primary health-care workers know the traditions, cultures and practices of their communities, making them indispensable during an outbreak or emergency.

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• To make health for all a reality, we need: individuals and communities who have access to high quality health services so that they take care of their own health and the health of their families; skilled health workers providing quality, people-centred care; and policy-makers committed to investing in primary health care.

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SEEHN participated at the SEE Regional Policy Dialogue: Towards Improved Structural Reforms and Fiscal Frameworks “Structural Reforms and Securing Budget for Their Implementation is Key for Building Competitive Market Economies”

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Dr. Danijela Urosevic, Assistant Minister of Health of the Republic of Serbia and Chair of the SEEHN Executive Committee, participated to the SEE Regional Policy Dialogue: Towards Improved Structural Reforms and Fiscal Frameworks held in Ljubljana, 26-27 February 2019.

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This SEE regional policy dialogue was a kick-off to the three-year project Strengthening Line Ministries’ Capacities to Asses Fiscal Implications of Structural Reforms (FISR project) funded by the European Union and implemented by the Center of Excellence in Finance(CEF).

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The meeting brought together versatile interest groups that discussed structural reforms and their improved integration into fiscal frameworks of the countries. The discussion was facilitated through the prism of increased competitiveness and growth of the region and enhanced EU enlargement.

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On their path to the EU, the economies of the Western Balkans and Turkey need to become sufficiently vital to withstand the competitive pressures of the EU single market.

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Key policy instruments in this process are the Economic Reform Programmes (ERP), inclusive of structural reforms, designed to boost growth and competitiveness while ensuring fiscal discipline and sustainability.

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The project will promote greater fiscal policy coordination especially between finance and line ministries and support exchange of good practices across the countries of Western Balkan and Turkey.

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SEEHN at the WHO 144 Executive Board meeting

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The WHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO) organized a working lunch within the WHO Executive Board 144 framework to brief Member States on the progress achieved during the long standing partnership between WHO Regional Office for Europe and South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) held on 28 January 2019 in Geneva.

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Dr. Zsusanna Jakab, Regional Director for WHO Euro, reviewed major progress and highlighted main priorities for the upcoming midterm collaboration.

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SEEHN Secretariat Director, Dr. Mira Dasic outlined key achievements in the last two years of leadership and Dr. Lucianne Licari, Country Support and Communication Director and Special Representative of Regional Director to the SEEHN spotted strategic alliances for public health in the SEE Region to maximize health outcomes and reach the targets of UN 2030 SDG Agenda.

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The core focus was on the joint strategic policy document between WHO EURO and SEEHN-first Subregional Cooperation Strategy (SCS) 2018-2023, to improve and contribute to health, well-being and prosperity in South-Eastern Europe within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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The activities are planned in a multi-country mode of cooperation mainly aimed to achieve progress at the Regional level, while at the same time advancing the national priorities and common goals. Since the SCS signing in July 2018, the parties involved started the implementation with reference to the key target of universal health coverage, in the member countries of SEEHN.

The First Sub-regional Cooperation Strategy between the WHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO) and South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN), 2018-2023

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The first Sub-regional Cooperation Strategy (SCS) of the WHO Regional Office for Europe and SEEHN have been signed by Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab on behalf of WHO/Europe and Dr Mira Dasic on behalf of SEEHN Secretariat within the framework of the Ministerial Meeting, held on 10 July 2018 in Tel-Aviv, State of Israel.

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This policy strategic planning document is a renewed commitment of the WHO EURO and South-eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) to improve and contribute to health, well-being and prosperity in South-eastern Europe within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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The activities are planned in a multi-country mode of cooperation to achieve progress at the Regional level and at the same time to advance the national priorities and common goals.

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Since the signature the involved parties started the implementation of different actions to achieve the key target for universal health coverage in the Member States of SEEHN.

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Acknowledging the importance of the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 and other health-related SDG targets, included within the SCS, SEEHN welcomes and encourages its other partners to support Member States in this endeavour.

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The document is now available for reference.

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DOWNLOAD

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World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe  – Link

Season’s Greetings

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Huge efforts needed in the Eastern European Region to downsize the HIV burden

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WHO Regional Office for Europe reported over 130 000 new HIV positive cases recorded in the Region – the highest number ever. At the same time, the increase in new HIV diagnoses was slower than in previous years.

nThe main reason is late diagnosis.nnOut of the new HIV diagnoses in the eastern part of the European Region, 59% are reported to be from heterosexual transmission.nnAnother huge challenge is the treatment – percentage of all people living with HIV accessing antiretroviral therapy vary across the European Region and in the Eastern part is between 30-40%.nnMain milestones have to be addressed through political commitment, technical expertise and financial resources.

South-eastern European countries meet to advance strengthening of primary health care systems

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Areas for the strengthening of primary health care and enhance its quality were the focus of an event hosted in Ljubljana, Slovenia on 6-7 November 2018. The meeting addressed the value of primary health care systems in the South-eastern European Region.nnPrimary health care is one of the foundations for universal health coverage. It can respond to most of the health needs across a lifetime. It leads to better health outcomes, improved quality of care and higher satisfaction. However, in most countries primary health care is under-resourced. Greater investment in primary health care would improve access, effectiveness, equity, and cost-efficiency of health care. Primary health care is closer to communities, focuses on health rather than diseases and empowers people to take charge of their own health rather than being passive recipients of services.nnThe meeting was organised jointly by the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Public Health, the South-eastern Europe Health Network Secretariat (SEEHN), and WHO with the financial support of the Slovene government.  “Slovenia has a long tradition of a strong, well developed primary health care system that provides close to full universal health coverage”, Dr Pia Vračko, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health Slovenia said in her opening address.nnPriorities for strengthening primary health carennOne of the key outcomes of the meeting was identifying priorities for future work aimed at strengthening primary health care in the participating countries:n

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• Human resources with proper skill-mix are of outmost importance and in case of need motivation incentives should be applied.

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• Better vertical integration of primary care services with other levels of health system and horizontal integration with other sectors on community level was underlined as a crucial area

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• Ways to reduce administrative burden on health workers to have more time for patients should be sought for.

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• Multi-disciplinary practices with selected specialists, social workers and specialised nurses working in teams demonstrate better health management especially in case of chronic patients.

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• Enhancing research and development in primary health care.

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nCollaboration in this area is high on the agenda of the SEEHN countries for the coming years.nnDeclaration of Astana, a cornerstonennDarina Sedláková, WHO Representative to Slovenia, highlighted the recently adopted Declaration of Astana as the most inclusive, effective and efficient approach to enhance people’s physical and mental health, as well as social well-being, underlining that primary health care is a cornerstone of a sustainable health system for universal health coverage and health-related Sustainable Development Goals.nnSharing good practices and experiencennRepresentatives from the SEEHN countries (Ministries of Health, Institutes for public health, Health insurance funds and public health professionals) as well as speakers from Slovenia, Dr Mira Jovanovski Dasic, SEEHN Secretariat Director, highlighted the comprehensive efforts streamlined at the regional level which followed the political commitment secured during the SEE Ministerial Meeting in Tel-Aviv held on 10 July 2018nnAustria, European Commission, OECD, EuroHealthNet and the WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care, shared and discussed experiences and practices with the audience.nnIn addition to this exchange of experience from their respective countries, the participants had the opportunity to visit the Health Centre Ljubljana and received first-hand information about the organization and service delivery model of one of the biggest Slovenian primary care provider.

World Mental Health Day 2018 Focuses On Mental Well-Being Of The Young And Adolescent

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 nnWorld Mental Health Day 2018 is observed on October 10 across the world. This year, the theme of World Mental Health Day is young people and mental health in a changing world.

European Health Forum Gastein

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Health and Sustainable Development

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Bold political choices for Agenda 2030

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3-5 October, 2018

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SEEHN delegation supported by European Health Forum Gastein (EHFG) SEEHN Partner, had the honor and opportunity, to attend leading Forum discussions in the area of health policy in Europe.

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This year the topic “Health and Sustainable Development” highlighted the importance of constantly developing healthcare systems in the EU countries.

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SEEHN delegation represented by Dr Danijela Urosevic, SEEHN Chair of the Executive Committee, Assistant Minister, Sector of International Cooperation and European Integration, Ministry of Health (MOH) Republic of Serbia,  Dr. Angel Kunchev, SEEHN National Health Coordinator (NHC), Chief State Health Inspector, Bulgaria, Dr. Vladimir Milosev, SEEHN NHC, State Secretary, MOH, Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Nikola Antovic, SEEHN NHC and member of the SEEHN Executive Committee, Secretary General, MOH Montenegro, attended the Forum and the Capacity Building Workshop for Policy Makers.  For the first time EHFG as a partner organized a satellite event dedicated to the SEE Region and Priorities.

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From the perspective of SEE countries, SEEHN delegates found comprehensive and interesting the sessions dedicated to the high level priorities for all countries, such as Vaccines for all, Setting priorities for public health, Workforce for the primary health care, Innovative medicines for the good of all, Improving cancer care, etc.

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During all these sessions, including the Plenary, SEEHN delegates had opportunity to contribute, to exchange points of view with colleagues and experts all across Europe, and to discuss the next steps, that can be implemented in their national health systems.

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Dr Tatiana Paduraru, SEEHN Technical Officer, participated among other 35 young professionals in a Hackathon – a new tool organized for the first time within EHFG. The hackathon aimed to identify innovative solutions to tackle misuse of alcohol within young populations.

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At the EHFG Romania has been extensively represented at all levels, especially in presenting the forthcoming EU Presidency agenda. One topic on eHealth achievements and future plans was particularly covered by the Director a.I., National Health Insurance House, Dr. Razvan Vulcanescu, former SEEHN NHC and Member of the SEEHN Executive Board.

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EHFG offered the opportunity to the SEEHN as an important regional public health actor, to foster dialogue among experts and to contribute to the future substantial improvements in all the member states.

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THE 6th REGIONAL EUROPEAN SAFE COMMUNITY CONFERENCE

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ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS – TOWARDS VIOLENCE FREE COMMUNITY

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Skopje, Republic of Macedonia 3-5th October 2018

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SEEHN supporting European Safe Community Network (ESCON) as partner to the Conference

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ESCON aims at strengthening existing International Safe Communities in Europe and promotion of the formation of new communities to be accepted into the Safecom movement towards Violence Free Community achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

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Injuries and violence are a major public health burden across the globe.  The Global Burden of Disease Studies has documented unfair distribution of violence and injury by socioeconomic strata in Europe. This gradient, existing within and between countries, must be addressed. Experts in injury prevention and safety promotion recognize the need for action and practice and consistently applying to policies and programs in the field.

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ESCON is working against public indifference towards the burden of violence and injury and promoting safe community and community based interventions against violence and injury.

nAddress by Dr Mira Jovanovski Dasic within the opening session at the 6th European Safe Communities Conference Skopje, 3 October 2018nn Your excellences,nDistinguished guests,nDear colleagues,nLadies and gentlemen n

 It is my great pleasure to address you in the capacity of the Director of the SEEHN Secretariat and Partner in the organization of this Conference. South Eastern European Health Network includes the following 9 countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the State of Israel, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, the Republic of Macedonia, Romania and the Republic of Serbia.

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All 9 countries of the SEE Health Network at some point in the recent history have faced conflicts and participation to this Conference as a partner will bring not only first-hand experience but also innovative solutions and important practical guidance. SEEHN is providing support to its Member States to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and I am proud to state that all SEEHN Member States are developing and implementing national health policies aligned with Health 2020, committing to inter-sectoral government policies towards achieving the 2030 Agenda.

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The theme of this Conference “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals – Towards Violence Free Community”, is of outmost importance and targets our basic instinct of security in the hostile times we are living today. We all want to live safely in our communities and I wish us all during the following days to focus on finding new ideas, exchange good practices and experiences to come up with prerequisites on how to deal with this challenge and to make safer our neighbourhood and ultimately the world.

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We all witness how one event on one continent can impact another or globally and consequently the global contest becomes common all over the world. SEE countries share geographic, demographic, economic and political specificities and thus face similar challenges, such as:

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• political turbulences, frequent governmental changes undermining the implementation of reforms and resulting in lack of continuity

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• economic constraints

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• less public health oriented services

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• inequities

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• migration and refugees challenge

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• climate change etc.

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Therefore, I must highlight how complex this issue is and what factors can contribute towards achieving Violence Free Community – starting with safe water supply, violence free families, prevention of violence among young people, children abuse, injury prevention, suicide prevention, safety of the elderly, safety at work, in the transport, at school, public spaces and our homes.

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The mentioned aspects of safe communities and violence prevention prerequisites make us aware that there are no universal and unique recipes and approaches, so, we need adjusted solutions, more efficient and integrated approach. Health systems play a crucial role and have direct involvement in many aspects in terms of safe communities and it should be reflected on providing services more efficiently and less costly to ensure health services of high quality, with patient safety at their core.

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I am very happy to join you, representing SEEHN as partner, and personally, because safety is the condition sine qua non for daily activity and development for a society. That is why Safe Communities Conference is a very useful platform for us to share, discuss and exchange experiences.

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In the light of the above mentioned, I would like to thank in advance the participants of the 6^th European Safe Communities Conference, for the contributions and remind that they will have responsibility to spread this knowledge for achieving the aim of Violence Free Communities more efficiently.

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Wishing you fruitful discussions I thank you for your kind attention.

The European Health Report 2018

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European Health Report 2018 is an essential resource for the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region to report on progress towards the Health 2020 targets, outlining areas that may be unfinished by 2020 and beyond.

Signed Subregional Cooperation Strategy

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Tel Aviv, 10 July 2018

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During the WHO/SEEHN Ministerial Meeting”, held in Tel Aviv, Israel with the topic “Ensuring Primary Health Care for Aging Population in the South Eastern Europe, Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, Regional Director, WHO Regional Office for Europe and Dr. Mira Jovanovski-Dasic, Director, Secretariat of the South – eastern European Health Network (SEEHN) signed the Memorandum of Understanding between WHO and SEEHN regarding the Subregional Cooperation Strategy.

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Reflecting the critical role played by the South-Eastern Europe Health Network in subregional health, the long-term collaboration with WHO regarding subregional health Agenda, the universality of Agenda 2030, which calls for all countries to fully engage in its implementation at all levels, WHO Regional Office for Europe and South-Eastern Europe Health Network (SEEHN) Secretariat have jointly developed this document. The achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 and other related to health SDGs goals, especially its key target of universal health coverage, underpins its strategic orientation.

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This Subregional Cooperation Strategy (SCS) has been shaped through a series of consultations with representatives at all levels of WHO, the SEEHN and scientific institutions. It has seven 7 strategic priorities reflecting the:

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1. Further sustaining and strengthening of our collaborative efforts;

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2. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

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3. Striving towards universal health coverage;

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4. Strengthening public health;

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5. Ensuring emergency preparedness and response;

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6. Promoting partnerships for health and well-being;

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7. Achieving policy coherence between global goals and the SEEHN member countries’ economic, social and environment policies.

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SEEHN Israeli Presidency

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WHO/SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE HEALTH NETWORK (SEEHN) MINISTERIAL MEETING ON ENSURING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FOR AN AGEING POPULATION nandn40th PLENARY MEETING OF THE SEEHN "ENSURING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE FOR AN AGEING POPULATION" 10 - 11 July 2018, Tel Aviv, Israel

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Approaching are two important events to be held in Tel Aviv, the Ministerial WHO/SEEHN meeting on 10 July and the SEEHN 40^th Plenary meeting on 11 July 2018.

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SEEHN can proudly announce that the nine Member States will come together to find new ways for intensifying their collaboration and determining the next steps for joint action.

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The meetings will cover the key technical issues including health system strengthening and primary health care, with a particular focus on ageing population and on vaccination as a critical public health intervention. The health ministers will discuss what assistance and follow-up action may be needed to ensure continued, efficient cooperation among SEEHN countries.  In that regard, conclusions from the last meeting in Podgorica will be talked over.

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In addition, the objectives of the meetings are to support the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) and emergency preparedness in SEEHN countries, and to debate the outcomes of the high-level regional meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, “Health Systems for Prosperity and Solidarity: leaving no one behind”.  Finally, the health ministers will review country-specific and SEEHN joint statements for the upcoming session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in September 2018.