To support the poorest of the poor / by Mohamed Abdelmoumène

To support the poorest of the poor by Mohamed Abdelmoumene Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organization ]For more than 40 years, WHO and its Member States have been working together to improve the health of the world, and to ensure that not a single person should be deprived of one of the fundamental rights: to attain the best possible state of health. During recent decades, WHO has recorded many successes. Foremost of these is the example of smallpox, which has disappeared from the surface of the globe, and to that we can add the decline in infant mortality that most countries have reported. And yet, despite the close part- nership that has constantly existed between WHO and the countries, the 2 health situation of whole populations in many regions of the world remains at unacceptable levels. This is why WHO has launched a new initiative which gives top priority to the countries and populationswhich are most in need. The Organization thus commits itself wholeheartedly to support the poorest of the poor in their struggle for a better life. Faithful to its intention of attaining Health for all through primary health care, WHO intends to find new ways of managing health care and identifying human and financial resources. At the same time, WHO will embark on a much more concrete policy of action at country level, so as to turn its partnership with member states and with other international organizations into a truly effective weapon against the social and health consequences of poverty. The poorest countries often have great difficulty in accurately analysing situations, putting integrated strategies into effect and managing their meagre resources rationally. Moreover, the work of the interna- tional organizations and even that of the different programmes of WHO is often insufficiently coordinated at the national level. This can lead to situations where certain activities are duplicated while others - which may well be the most essential - are sadly lacking. WHO as well as its member countries are ready to re-think the direction of their efforts and to re-cast the firmly held notions of the past, so as to create a new approach which will truly permit ideas to be transformed into concrete realities. The countries have committed themselves to taking a long hard look at their priorities in the light of the resources . at their disposal, even if this might oblige them to start from scratch. For its part, WHO commits itself to re-examine the way its own resources are allocated, to show more flexibility in the use of funds within the coun- W ORLD HEALTH. Marc h 1990 tries, and to ensure a better integration of its activities. Over and above all this, the Organi- zation will further reinforce the offices of the WHO representatives in the countries concerned, since they will have a crucial role to play in the new initiative. The WHO representatives will assist the countries to improve their capacity for planning, programming and management in the health sector, so as to arrive at better-integrated, well-coordinated and more realistic national health plans. They will thus seek to harmonise international health activities in such a way as to ensure Mothers with their children in Haiti, a waterlogged slum in Indonesia, a girl picking over a city rubbish-tip in Egypt. "Despite the close partnership between M/0 and the countries, the health situation of whole populations remains at unacceptable levels." that the health services use resources to the best possible advantage, serving all the population without exception. WHO hopes in this way to succeed in anchoring its activities in the very heart of each country, and bringing about a truly effective partnership. • Cover Rootless and ~R!:P_HEAL!t! rootless, a migrant family beds down on a ci ty pavement in the Philippines Photo WHO/ Zafar IX ISSN 0043-8502 t=::::::::::::::_ World Health is the official illustrated magazine of the World Health Organization. Editor: John Bland Deputy Editor: Christiane Viedma Art Editor: Peter Davies News Page Editor and this month's Theme Editor: Phi lippe Stroot World Health appears ten times a year in English. French. Portuguese. Russian and Spanish, and four times a year in Arabic and Farsi. The German edition is obtainable from: German Green Cross. Schuhmarkt 4. 3550 Marburg. FRG. Articles and photographs not copyrighted may be reproduced provided credit is given to the World Health Organization. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect WHO 's views. The designations employed and the presentation of material published in World Health do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory or other area or of its authorities. or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Contents To support the poorest of the poor by Mohamed Abdelmoumene ........ 3 More than a billion .. . by Michel Jancloes .... ..... . .... . . . 4 Born underprivileged by Fredj Stambouli ..... ... . . .... . .. . 6 Nepal: sight for the blind by Nedd Willard . ..... . ............. 9 Kiribati: the healthiest island by lwan Soetjahja . . ... ......... ... 12 Nigeria: self-reliance in the village by M.C. Asuzu ......... . .... . . . ... 14 Health photographer by Paul A lmasy . . . . ............ . ... 16 Equatorial Guinea: hope for the future by Patricio Rojas .. . ........... . ... 18 Guinea-Bissau: an ailing health service by lsabel Maria Garcia de Almeida .. . 20 Republic of Guinea: planning for the year 2000 by Alpha Telli Diallo . . ............. 22 Just imagine! by Charles Boelen ... . . . ........... 23 Rwanda: mental care for all by Franz Baro .... ... .. .. ......... . 26 Polio in the Marshal! Islands by Deborah A. Goebert .... .... . .... 28 News Page . ... . ... . ... . ... .. . ... 30 World Health. WHO. Av. Appia. 1211 Geneva 27. Switzerland. 3