Congress on Public Health calls for access to health equity

Addis Ababa, April 28 (WIC) - The 13th World Congress on Public Health called for access to equity health service to all citizens across the world.

According to the Addis Ababa Declaration made official here later Friday on Global Health Equity, the Congress re-affirmed the 2009 Istanbul Declaration on ' Health, the First Human Right' as well as the 2011 Rio Political Declaration on the Social Determinants of Health and the 2012 Bangkok Statement on Universal Health Coverage.

The World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) called on all governments and stakeholders to safeguard and promote the essential values of public health.

These include, but are not restricted to good governance, solidarity, equity and fairness, empowerment and participation, and social justice to achieve the highest possible standards of health for all.

On behalf of its member associations the WFPHA pledged to promote and facilitate the linkage between the academic and public health association communities, advocate for the utilization of evidence as the basis for formulating healthy public policy and informing practice to reduce health inequity, make health equity an integral part of local, national and global policy, among others.

The WFPHA called on the World Health Organization to take up its leadership role on global public health and to revisit all the MDGs from a public health perspective to ‘close the gap.’

It also called on all governments and all parties to recognize and live up to their responsibility for global health equity and urged the various communities represented at the congress to engage with their governments and other stakeholders, including their national public health associations, to formulate and put into place the conditions that support healthy environments and healthy communities and the attainment of health equity.

In a joint statement they gave here on Friday, President of World Federation of Public Health Associations, James Chauvin and President of the Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA), Dr. Tewabech Bishaw said the congress enabled to share experiences in the health sector.

Health Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom on his part said the decision made by the African Federation of Public Health Associations to establish its headquarters in Addis Ababa is success to Ethiopia.

The Minister said election of Dr. Mengistu Asnake as Vice-President of the World Health Service Federation and also election of Dr. Tewabech as Secretary-General of the African Federation of Public Health Associations was a victory for Ethiopia and Africa.

They said the local and international media gave wide coverage to the event, which was successful as expected.

More than 4000 participants drawn from 120 countries took part in the congress.

Communication and Information Coordinator with the Ethiopian Public Health Association, Solomon Abebe told ENA that more than 700 research papers were presented at the congress.

The 14th World Congress of Public Health Associations will be organized in Calcutta, India under the theme "Healthy People, Healthy Environment" from 11-15 February 2015.

The 13th World Congress on Public Health was organized here under the theme: “Towards Global Health Equity: Opportunities and Threats,” from April 23 – 27, 2012.