HOLY SUNDAY. – The Senate of the Republic and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) signed this Monday a technical cooperation framework agreement with the primary objective of promoting the right to health and moving towards universal coverage in the country.
The president of the Senate, Ricardo de los Santos, and the director of the (PAHO/WHO) Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., signed the agreement in the Reinaldo Pared Pérez Room of the Upper House.
The agreement establishes the general terms and conditions that will govern the general framework of cooperation between PAHO/WHO and the Senate of the Republic to promote research initiatives, consultancies, conferences and institutional strengthening with the aim of promoting effective compliance with the right to health in the Dominican Republic.
This framework agreement contains several key points of collaboration such as: the exchange of knowledge to promote collaboration in research, specialized consultancies and exchange of relevant bibliographic material; institutional strengthening of both entities through joint work to optimize the Dominican regulatory framework in health, as well as the strategic approach to cooperation focused on effective strategies to counteract health threats and improve the quality of services provided to citizens.
The pact will have an initial validity of five years, subject to renewal, and establishes a solid framework for the exchange of crucial information and the promotion of bilateral cooperation in the field of health legislation.
As part of the agreement reached between PAHO/WHO and the Senate, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa offered the conference “Health situation in the Americas: achievements and challenges,” in which he addressed the main barriers that the countries of the continent have to guarantee effective health services to their entire population.
The president of the Senate, Ricardo de los Santos, when delivering the opening speech, highlighted the importance of Mr. Barbosa’s presence in the country, pointing out the lessons that recent events have left, such as the COVID 19 pandemic, which exposed the vulnerability of all health systems in the world.
The president of the Senate considered Jarbas Barbosa’s presence in the country to be essential, valuing the diagnostic vision he has on the present and future of health in the region, “something that this Congress deeply values.”
Ricardo de los Santos valued the advances that the Dominican Republic has experienced in health, and emphasized the role that parliaments play, as spaces where debate, representation and decision-making converge.
“Currently, the Dominican Congress is studying the revision of the Social Security Law, the General Health Law and the Mental Health Law, with the objective of guaranteeing access to quality health services for the entire population,” he stated.
The director general of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, is one of the most influential figures in public health in the hemisphere.
During his intervention, the specialist called for strengthening public investment and the legislative framework in health matters, by presenting to the National Congress the main challenges facing the Region of the Americas.
“Parliaments are doing a lot for health in the region. More can be done from a parliament than from a hospital,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa.
He stressed that legislating on health is working to improve people’s living conditions.
“Their decisions shape systems, protect the most vulnerable populations, strengthen the capacity of the State and guarantee an inalienable principle: health as a universal human right,” he stated.
The prominent specialist and international speaker stated as an achievement that progress is being made in improving access to telemedicine, but that there are still challenges such as that imposed by climate change and in applying the knowledge learned after the pandemic.
Dr. Barbosa insisted that deep inequities persist in access to services, while threats such as climate change, population aging, outbreaks of communicable diseases, and the advance of non-communicable conditions emerge.
“Health is an important engine for the development of nations; because improving health means improving people’s living conditions,” he added.
He concluded that part of the PAHO/WHO agenda is to guarantee the right to health and counteract the challenges that arise in this area in the world.
