São Paulo – Yesterday (28th) in São Paulo, the Jordanian princess Muna Al-Hussein, mother to the country’s king, Abdullah II, discussed the need for investment in health care in developing countries. She took part in the opening of the 8th Meeting of the Global Network of Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery of the World Health Organization (WHO), which will continue until Friday (30).
“The differences between wealthy and developing countries (in the health care field) are too great. Over one million people live below the poverty line,” said Muna, who presides over the Jordanian Nursing Council, to an audience of over 400 people, including nurses, midwives, university professors and students.
According to her, the world is facing major challenges in health care that concern the poorer countries. Chronic illnesses, HIV, malaria, malnutrition and tuberculosis were some of the diseases listed by Muna that concentrate in low- and medium-income countries. Malnutrition, for instance, accounts for one third of children’s deaths worldwide. “People in developing countries are dying as a result of factors that could be prevented (with a better health care system),” she said.
Muna also stated that the level of nursing and midwifery professionals needs to be increased to prevent certain diseases from spreading. According to her, these workers are unevenly distributed throughout urban and rural areas.
The princess also underscored the need for investing in human resources, stronger coordination and integrated work in poorer communities, and greater support from governments and NGOs to health care services.
In a video, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Margaret Chan, stated that attaining equality in the health care system is one of the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations (UN). Like Muna, Margaret said that the secret lies in professional training and renewal of primary care.
The opening of the meeting was also attended by the secretary general of the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres , Isabel Costa Mendes, the dean of the University of São Paulo (USP), João Grandino Rodas, and the director of the programmatic action department at the Brazilian Ministry of Health, João Luiz Telles.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
