The WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific Fifty-fifth Session held from 13-17 September in Shanghai where more than 200 health representatives from 33 countries and regions participated in the meeting.
This high-rank meeting was officiated by the Vice-premier and the Minister of Health Wu Yi, the Director-General of WHO Lee Jong-wook and the Regional Director for the WHO Western Pacific Region Dr. Shiqeru Omi.
The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Dr. Chui Sai On who led an eight-member delegation participated in the meeting. The Macao representative thanked the WHO for supporting Macao in the prevention of SARS, providing advisory on quarantines and related facilities, granting Macao important guidelines for the Health City Project. The speaker also expressed the will to cooperate with other countries and regions on professional training, information exchanges, etc.
The agendas for the meeting included proposed program budget for 2006-2007 and eleventh general program of work for 2006-2015; outbreak response, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), food safety, HIV/AIDS, blood safety, tobacco control, measles and hepatitis B, tuberculosis, etc.
The Regional Director Dr. Omi reported the works done for fighting infectious diseases, establishing health community. He has also reviewed the effective solution to the outbreak of SARS in 2003. Dr. Omi also mentioned the Macao Health City Project in his report.
The fifty-sixth session will be held in New Caledonia in September 2005.
