(WP/RC10/p&B/M1n/2 Rev.l)
MINUrES OF THE SECOND MEErING OF THE .
SUB-COMMITTEE ON PROORAMME AND BUDGEI' City Hall Friday, 18 September 1959 at 2.30 p.m. CHAIRMAN:
Dr. C.K. Chang
CONl'ENTS
1 2
Proposed programme and budget estimates ~or 1961 - regular programmes •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 212 Supplementary list o~
projects
3
Technical ASSistance programme
........................... 214 ........................... 216
3.1 MOdifications in 1960 Technical Assistance programme and proposed programme and budget estimates for 1960 and 1961 ••••••••••••••••••••••••• 216 4 other business ..••.••.•••••••••••••••.••..•• ~ •••.•••••••. 221
4.1 Final report of the Sub-Committee ••••••••••••••••••• 221
- 211 -
212
REGIONAL COMMITTEE: TENTH SESSION
The second meeting of the Sub-Committee on Programme and Budget was held on Friday, 18 September 1959, under the chairmanship of Dr. C.K. Chang, with Mr. A. Saita, WPRO Administration and Finance Officer, as Secretary. In addition to the Sub-Committee members,
representatives from Australia, France, Korea, UNICEF and the South Pacific Commission also attended.
1
PROPOSED PROGRAMME AND BU'DGEr EsrIMATES FOR 1961 - REGUIAR PROGRAMME: Item 2 of the Agenda (Documents WP /RCIO/4 Part I and iiP/RCIO/P&B/2) The CHAIRMAN referred to the discussions held at the previous
meeting on the establishment of priorities, a subject which had been raised by the representative from Australia, and invited the Secretary to make a statement. The SECRETARY supported the recsrks made by the representative from China at the last meeting that the question of priorities had come up again and again since the Regional Committee met in Tokyo in
1954. He explained that there were times when the Regional Director, in considering project requests, found it necessary to consider priorities, which would assist him in determining which request could be accommodated in the regular programme and budget and which had to be placed in the supplementary list for implementation whenever savings arose. Another instance when priorities served a useful
purpose was, as the representative from the United Kingdom had mentioned at the last meeting, ,men the World Health Assembly failed to allocate the amount requested. For example the Health Assembly's decision as
regards the 1961 budget would be made in May next year and on the basis of that decision the Director-General would provide the
PROGRAMME AND BUDGET: SECOND MEETING
213
Regional Director with a firm target figure Which might differ from the figure previously used, in Which case adjustments had to be made. Faced with this situation, the Regional Director needed to determine Which projects should be given high priority. In either case, the
Regional Director had, however, the opportunity of discussing the proposed programme and the modifications at the Regional Committee meeting and therefore had the benefit of the Committee's guidance. The list of programme priorities could really serve a valuable purpose at the time of utilization of savings in the ~lementing
year.
This was Why the Regional Director had requested the Regional Committee, at its last session, to draw up priorities so that he would have proper guidance. The Regional Committee had, therefore, adopted a resolution The Secretary recalled the suggestion
indicating programme priorities.
made by the representative from Australia that the Regional Committee should exercise more authority in determining how savings should be used. He explained that funds given to the Region were allocated to
the last cent and savings arose only When the implementation of certain projects was delayed for some reasons - such as, for example, the failure to recruit suitable candidates and assign them to the projects on the dates desired by both the government and the Organization. The
availability of savings was not, therefore, known usually until about the latter part of the year, after the Regional Committee had convened. In view of this, it was not often possible at that time for the Regional Director to obtain the wishes of governments as to how savings could be used. It would, therefore, be helpful if the Regional COmmittee,
while in session, could give the Regional Director some guidance as to how it wished the savings to be utilized. The Secretary pointed out
REGIONAL COMMrror'EE: TENrH SESSION
that the Regional Director appreciated the Regional Committee's responsibility to determine how funds, including savings, were to be utilized, but in view of the administrative procedure involved, he wished to have the Committee give him, in general terms, the priorities he could follow. Dr. DEMPs:rER (New Zealand) suggested that the Regional Director be asked to utilize savings first, for those. activities which were being puShed by the World Health Assembly, and second, for projects in underdeveloped, rather than in developed, countries. Dr. THOR-PENG-THONG (Cambodia) supported the proposal made by the New Zealand representative. The SECRErARY said that, if he had understood correctly, the two pOints suggested by the representative from New Zealand were for the Begional Director's consideration, in addition to the priorities laid down in the resolution passed at the last session of the Regional Committee. If this was the wish of the Sub-Committee, the Secretariat
would be pleased to incorporate the suggestion in the draft resolution to be submitted during the plenary session. It was so agreed.
2
SUPPlEMENTARY LIsr OF PROJECl'S: WP/RCIO/4 Add.l)
Item:3 of the Agenda (Document
In introduCing this document, the SECRETARY drew attention to the statement he had made earlier that it was not often possible for the Regional Director to accommodate in the regular budget all the
PROGRAMME AND BUDGET: SECOND
ME=ET==I:::.N;.;:G~_ _ _ _ _--.;21=5
requests received.
For this reason, some of the requests had been
relegated to the supplementary list for implementation whenever savings became available. The Secretary reported that additional requests for he~
projects to be implemented out of savings supplementary list had been finalized.
been received after the
The New Zealand Government had.
requested one fellowship for a person to go to Tonga for research studies in ya.ws control, and three other fellowships: two for Western Samoan
medical practitioners to study at the Central Medical School in Fiji, and the third, for study in New Zealand. The Government of the
Philippines wished to have two fellowships of twelve-months' duration each, one in the field of cardiovascular diseases and the other the rehabilitation of negative cases of leprosy. in
Under inter-country
programmes, it was proposed to include a team consisting of a maternal and child health consultant and a public health nurse who would visit perhaps three of the territories in the South Pacific for a period of three months and undertake a comparative evaluation of the maternal and child health work done in these territories. This proposed project
had. been included on the basis of correspondence with the South Pacific Conmdssion which had. suggested this activity. The Regional Director
was in agreement with these requests and reconnnended that the SubConmdttee approve their inclusion in the supplementary list of projects so that they could be implemented out of future savings. Mr. SAITO (Japan) referred to page 4 of do~tlme~lt VlP/RCIO/4 Add.l
under the heading "Fellowships (Food and drug control)" and explained tha.t the fellowship requested was in the field of drug testing and assay and not in food inspection and food preservation, as given in the document.
216
REGIONAL COl-1MITTEE: TENTH SESSION
Dr. HAN (Korea) invited the Sub-Committee's attention to page 5 Control of clonorchiasis and paragonimiasis, and requested the inclusion of a short-term consultant in epidemiology. of Korea" with the assistance of The Government
1V!ro, had carried out a survey of
clonorchiasis and paragonimiasis in the. country by the skin-test method, but epidemiological studies were needed in order that measures for the control of these diseases could be undertaken. These studies
would take about six weeks and the cost was estimated to be approximately $1500, should the epidemiologist-consultant come from the staff of the Regional Office. Dr. Han stated that the studies would not
only benefit his country but would be of interest to the world. The SECR&rARY reminded the members of the Sub-Committee that all requests should be formally communicated by governments to the Regional Director. He suggested that the Sub-Committee note the remarks made
by the representative from Korea ana in the meantime the latter should advise his Government to submit a formal request to the Regional Director who would take appropriate steps to meet it. ~1s1on:
The Sub-Committee approved the inclusion in the supplementary list.of the additional requests mentioned by the Secretary.
TECHNICAL ASSIsrANCE PROGRAMME: Item 4 of the Agenda
,.1
Modifications in 1960 Technical Assistance programme and proposed ro ramme and budget estimates for 1960 and 1961: Items 4.1 and .2 of the Agenda Documents WP RCIO 3 Add.l and WP/RCIO/4 Part II) The SECRETARY informed the Sub-Comittee that document WP/RCIO/3
Add.l was a comparison between the infonnation vThich governments had
--------------~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--- .•.---.-.-.-.----~~
PROGRAMME AND BUDGEI': SECOND MEErING
217
supplied to the Regional Director last year covering their proposed requests under the 1960 TeChnical Assistance budget and the actual requests submitted. The Sub-Committee was perhaps aware that govern-
ments were asked to submit infonnation two years in advance on the programmes they intended to request under the Technical Assistance budget. However, in putting forth their actual requests, health
administrations might sometimes not find it possible to include all their original proposals - hence, the difference in the infonnation previously received and the actual requests. Document WP/RC10/4 Part II contained the figures and the proJ cts requested by governments under the 1960 TeChnical Assistance programme. The attention of the members of the Sub-Committee was called to the fact that the programmes indicated were those whiCh had been requested by governments and that the Regional Committee had no authority to criticize nor approve these, apart from the inter-country programmes to whiCh reference would be made later. The data given were only for
the information of the Regional Committee. The SECRETARY invited attention to the list of inter-country programmes given on pages 26-27 and recalled that at its previous session the Regional Committee had approved the inclusion of the following in the inter-country programmes to be financed from TeChnical Assistance funds: (1) WPRO 45 - Public health conference and study tour, (2) WPRO
69 -
Seminar on public health laboratory In
services, (3) WPRO 70 - Conference on rural health services.
view of insufficiency of funds, however, only the public health conference and study tour (WPRO 45) and the seminar on public health
218
REGIONAL COMMrrar'EE: TENrH SESSION
laboratory services (WPRO 69) could be accommodated in the 1960 budget, the seminar on rural health services (WPRO 70) being deferred to 1961. The Secretary requested that the Sub-Committee consider the inclusion in the 1961 Technical Assistance budget of the following inter-country programmes: (1) WPRO 70 - Conference on rural health services;
(2) WPRO 44 - Nursing administratioll seminar, and sanitation seminar.
C»
WPRO 40 .. Food
It was pointed out that after the Regional
Committee approved these programmes, the Regional Director would notify Member governments which were, in turn, expected to signify their interest through their co-ordination committees. The Secretary
stressed that without majority support from governments, the Regional Office would find no justification for the implementation of these activities. He therefore suggested that the Sub-Committee give
careful consideration to the three inter-country programmes proposed. Dr. YEN (China) thanked the Secretary for the clear explanation he had given regarding the document which had enlightened the members. He wished however to refer to document v~/RCIO/3 Add.l, which the Secretary had mentioned as important for reference. showed under two columns headed as n Decrease I
This document
and • Increase I the
modifications made in the Technical Assistance programme for 1960. It would be noticed that there were many countries with huge amounts of decrease.and only a few with increase. As far as his country was
concerned, their difficulty was not in being unable to implement the programme suggested two years ago, but mainly because of a shortage in Technical Assistance funds.
PROORAMME AND BUOOEr: SECOND MEEI'ING .
219
The SECRErARY stated that he should like to clarify the point raised by the representative of China. The words "decrease n and 'increase' as
used in the document represented the difference in the amount of money which \-IHO considered necessary to carry out the project requested by the government and the actual costing of the project put forward by the government to the Technical Assistance Board this year for the 1960 programme. Taking as an exam.ple the malaria-arthropod-borne diseases
control project listed under China on page 1 of the document (WP/RC10/3 Add.l), he stated that the original request was for a short-term consultant and two fellowships, this had been cut down to one fellowship. The 'decrease' in this case was the difference between the costs of one short-term consultant and two fellowships and the cost of one fellowship. On
the other hand, in those projects which had
~igures
under the
"increase" column, the amount covered items which had not been included in the programme request submitted by Member governments two years ago. As regards the second point raised by the representative of China, the SECRETARY stated that as would be noticed clearly evident that in spite of the ~act ~rom
the document it was
that the health administrations
'Wished to implement many projects, 'What they had actually succeeded in including 'Within the national request to the Technical Assistance Board was comparatively small. of Japan on page 2 o~
He then referred to the case of the Government Originally, the Government wished However,
the document.
to included three fellowships under Technical Assistance.
none of these fellowships was included in the national request sent forward to the Technical Assistance Board. As the representative of
China had very anxiously pointed out, when the national request was formulated there were so many requests from the different national
220
REGIONAL COMMITI'EE: TENTH BESSI ON
agencies that often the health projects were cut done and excluded from the final national request. Hm-rever, this particular matter had been
included as one of the items of the agenda to be discussed at a plenary session of the Regional Committee. He hoped that the representatives
would show keen interest regarding the tendency to decrease the allocation of funds to health programmes under the Technical Assistance programme. Dr. REDSHA"Vl (Australia) stated that the Secretary had very ably
summed up the situation ",ith regard to the decreased amount of Technical Assistance funds being allocated to medical projects and suggested that efforts be made to increase the total amount. He wondered whether the
Secretary would elucidate on the ideas he had in mind in connexion with the submission of requests. the Secretary had in mind. The SECRETARY called the attention of the representative of Australia to item 18 of the agenda - Participation in the Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance and document vIP /RC10/ll. He stated He did not know what action or arrangement
that he was prepared to discuss the subject at that moment but believed it would be more appropriate to discuss this during the plenary session. It was possible that the Regional Director might wish to comment on this topic.
Dr. REDSHA11 stated that he was quite happy nth the Secretary's reply and satisfied to discuss it at another time.
PROGRAMME AND BUDGET: SECOND MEEI'ING
221
Decision: The Sub-Committee approved the inolusion of the following three inter-country programmes in the 1961 TeChnical Assistance programme: Conference on rural health services Nursing administration seminar Food sanitation seminar.
4
orHER BUSINESS
4.1 Final report of the Sub-Committee The CHAIRMAN stated that the Sub-Committee would meet again at 8. 30 a.m. on Monday, 21 September to consider the draft report and resolutions.
4.2 The SECRETARY referred to the decision of the Chairman to ask the Regional Director at the plenary meeting of the Committee to reply to the pOints raised as regards the staffing pattern in the Regional Office. As the Regional Director had already answered the points
raised by the representative of China at the last plenary meeting, he wished to have a ruling on whether the answers given were considered satisfactory • Dr. YEN stated that in view of the explanation given by the Regional Director at the plenary session in conneSion with his annual report, he personally did not think it necessary to refer the matter again to the Regional Director unless the Sub-Committee thought otherwise. As the representative from China was satisfied with the explanation already given, it was agreed there again. was-
no need to raise the matter
The meeting adjourned at 3.40 p.m.