The World Health Organization has organised a consultation in Suva, Fiji for health professionals, educational institutions and donor agencies from around the Pacific to review and refine the plans for strengthening specialised clinical services in the region.
Health systems cannot function without a strong health workforce delivering well-coordinated and well-functioning clinical services. However, the Pacific is facing many challenges in this area. WHO recently facilitated the establishment of the Pacific Human Resources for Health Alliance (PHRHA), which was endorsed by the Pacific Ministers of Health at the Regional Committee Meeting in September 2008. The PHRHA aims to address these health workforce challenges by providing a coordinated road map for Pacific island countries in terms of their health workforce.
WHO Representative in the South Pacific, Dr Chen Ken, said “this consultation comes at a very important juncture for the Pacific - it will be difficult to achieve national health goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 target, without greater and more effective investment in health systems and services.”
While primary health care and communicable disease prevention remain cornerstones of national health plans and assist in developing the Pacific health sector, there is a parallel need to address noncommunicable diseases as well as chronic illness and injury. In many Pacific island countries and territories, clinical care service delivery is limited by a continuing shortage of health professionals and the burden that service delivery costs put on individuals, families and the greater community.
The need for expert, multi-skilled teams to deliver clinical services in the Pacific region cannot be understated. Invaluable technical assistance has been provided by AusAID and NZAID in strengthening clinical services provision through the Pacific Islands Project and the Pacific Tertiary Health Programme. Both of these programmes have done an excellent job providing specialized clinical services that many Pacific island countries have not been able to provide, particularly in improving individual health outcomes. This WHO facilitated consultation aims to review and refine the plans for strengthening specialised clinical health services in the Pacific region, by collaborating the efforts of all stakeholders and this will ultimately assist in achieving better health outcomes for all.
