With the wide participation of experts, the International Conference on Comprehensive and Integrated Health Networks and Systems – PAHO / WHO concluded

BOGOTA, Colombia November 18, 2022 (PAHO) – Led by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the Pan American Health Organization, as well as the active participation of allies, exhibitors, health professionals and workers, the international conference “Comprehensive and Integrated Health Networks and Systems” concluded in Bogota “to place Colombia in the global discussion on changes to move towards the full exercise of the fundamental right to health .

To end an intensive two-day session of robust technical content on the evolution of health systems based on primary health care and organized into inclusive and integrated health networks, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Carolina Curco, and PAHO/WHO Representative in Colombia, Gina Tambeni Gomez led a talk About the conference titled: “The Importance of Intersectoral Intersectionality and Health Implications for All Policies,” by Dr. Aurel Solar, Member of the PAHO/WHO Headquarters in Washington.

The difference in years of life between the most developed parts of the country and the most vulnerable is a direct consequence determined by the living conditions of the population, which means an unfair and avoidable difference that public policy must decisively address. Minister Corcho specifically pointed to the infant mortality in La Guajira as a powerful example of the need to respond as a society and as a country to a structural problem urgently and effectively.

He said that it is clear that there is a need for a labor front, which, although it can be called by the Ministry, requires the participation of various sectors of the economy and the development of the country. Even if the health system is able to provide all services, it cannot guarantee water, food, housing, education and work, among other conditions that determine the living conditions of citizens.

For her part, Tambeni Gomez reinforced the Minister’s statement, emphasizing the importance of studies of social medicine in Latin America and those of the global agreements of the WHO Committee on Social Determinants that agree to focus efforts on: improving daily living conditions, that is, the conditions in which people are born, grow up, live and work and they are enacted; address the unequal distribution of power, money, and resources; measure and understand the problem and evaluate the impact of the action.

Forging high-level coalitions that position health as an engine of development can be a powerful platform for accelerating the path towards equitable universal health. Finally, the two authorities renewed their commitment to joint work and opening a space for dialogue, technical construction, and exchange of experiences and knowledge that contribute to discussion and innovation in facing major health challenges.

The international conference “Comprehensive and Integrated Health Networks and Systems” brought together experts from Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Spain, England and Latin American countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Panama, Ecuador, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Costa. Rica.

In the same way, to departmental, provincial and municipal health secretaries throughout the country and their technical teams, universities, professional associations, research organizations and civil society active in health, technical and financial cooperation organizations and agencies, among others.

The event was held on November 16 and 17, taking into account the main axes of governance, financing, comprehensive and integrated networks, and human talents, with a part analyzing the overlap between sectors and the relationship between health systems and development.