Director-General of WHO calls on President Kufuor

Accra, Nov. 19, GNA- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday called on the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to solicit more support from international institutions in the implementation of their decisions to alleviate the sufferings of the poor in society.

"When you make the right decisions, solicit the support of the United Nations (UN) and the G8 in their implementation to alleviate the sufferings of the poor in society", he said.

President Kufuor made the call when Dr Jong-Wook Lee, Director-General of WHO led delegates attending the WHO Executive Board Retreat in Accra to pay a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu.

Ghana is hosting the three-day Retreat, the first to be held in Africa and outside Geneva since its establishment in 1948 to discuss health issues confronting the world.

The Director-General of WHO, some directors from the WHO Headquarters, six Regional Directors and Representatives of countries that constitute the 32-member Executive Board of the 192-member organization are attending.

Topics to be discussed would include brain drain and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

President Kufuor said Africa was the most affected continent of diseases in the world and appealed to the WHO to assist the continent to alleviate the people afflicted with HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Buruli Ulcer and the fight against poliomyelitis.

He said organizing the retreat in Ghana was ideal because when they were strategizing to promote health care they would have more passion than ideas in the provision of more resources and drugs to the people in developing countries.

President Kufuor suggested that the delegates pay a visit to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital established about 80 years ago in Accra to strengthen their motivation to offer more support to the government to alleviate the suffering of the people.

He said it was an honour to the government and Ghana to host the Retreat the first outside Geneva, adding " we are all in a global world and to chose Ghana for the Retreat has shown that Ghana has gained the notice of such an important world body".

Dr Lee said deliberations at the Retreat indicated that the WHO would come out with an action plan to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic during this year's World AIDS Day celebration in December.

He said human resource development in the health sector had been a bane on the government due to constraints in resources and commended the government for initiating the health financing policy that would help provide health care for Ghanaians.

Dr Lee pledged the WHO's support to the government in the eradication of poliomyelitis due to the government's concern and support to eradicate the disease.