.
(WPjRCll/Min/l ~ev.l) MINUl'ES OF THE FIRST MEm'mG
WHO Conference Hall Friday, i2 August 1900 at 9.00 a.m. CHAmMA.N:
Dr. R.K.C. LEE CONTEm'S
1 2 3
l!i! Opening of the eleventh session of the Regional Committee ••••• 65 Address by the Deputy Director-General........................
66
Election of new officers ..•....•.•.....•.......••.•.•••••••••• Address by Dr. E. Valencia, Secretary of Health, l?tlilipp1nes .................................................•.
4
68
5
Address by inCOming Chairman ...•.•.............••..••..•.••••• Adoption of the provisional agenda •.•.••.•••.••••••••••••••••• Designation of Chairman of the Technical Discussions •••••••••• Acceptance of the progranme for Technical Discussions ••••••••. Establishment of the Sub-Committee on Programme and Budget •••• Acknowledgement by the Chairman of brief reports received from governments on the progress of their health activities ••• Election of the Regional Director ••..•...•..•.•.••.•••.•••••••
6 7
8 9 10 11
70
74
-61-
62
REGIONAL COMMITTEE:
ElEVENTH SESSION
First Meeting Friday, 12 August 1960 at 9.00 a.m. PRESENr
I •
Representatives of Member States Dr. H. E. Downes Mr. D. F. Ritchie Dr. C. K. Chang Dr. Y. C. Chen Dr. Y. T. Kuo FRANCE JAPM Medecin-Colonel L. cail l ard
Dr. Y. Ozaki Mr. K. Watanabe Mr. H. 0kazak.1
KOREA MALAYA
Dr. Y. S. Kim Dr. S. W. YUn
Dr. Ten Yoon Fong Dr. O. J. M. KranendOnk Dr. H. B. Turbott
NETHERLANDS NEW ZEALAND
PHILIPPINES
Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.
E. J. F. V.
Valencia
Nolasco Hernando Mauricio V. Gallol. J. N. Rodriguez
E. L. VUJ.egas
T. Gomez A. Reyes
Dr. J. P. Martins Dr. M. G. Gomes
UNITED KINGDOM
Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.
D. A. Baird
Abdul Wahab bin Mohamed .Ar1ff C. Marcus J .A.B. Nicholson
P. H. Teng
UNITED fJrATES OF AMERICA
Dr. R.K.C. Lee Dr. L. Florio
MINUTES OF THE FmST MEETING
VIET NAM
Dr. I.e CUu Truong Dr. Truong Minh Cae
II.
Representatives of the United Nations and Specialized Agencies
UNITED NATIONS and UNITED Mr. J. N. Corry NATIONS TECHNICAL ASSlarANCE BOARD UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND Mr. P. B. Edwards
III.
Representatives of other inter-governmental organizations ~d of non-governmental organizations INl'ERNATIONAL COMMITl'EE OF Colonel A. Ob1eta, M.C.
MILITARY MEmCINE AND PHAR-
MACY INn:J:UqATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF BLINmESS INrERNATIONAL COMMr'I'I'EE OF CATHOUC NURSES
Dr. C.'
v.
Ysmbao
Mrs. E. M. Adriano Sister La Croix de Jesus
INrERNA'l'IONAL COUNCIL OF NURSES
INl'ERNATIONAL DENTAL FEIERATION
Dr. A. L. zarate Dr. ·S.· Arellano Dr. A. M. Lopez Dr. J. Salcedo, Jr.
IIfmRNATIONAL FEDERATION OF GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTmRICS
INl'ERNATIONAL S<>CmrY FOR THE WELFARE OF CRIPPLES
64
REGIONAL COMMITTEE: EIiEVENTH SESSION
IEAGUE OF RED CROSS SOCIm'IES
Dr. T. Elicano
.MEDICAL WCIG t S Il'tl!ERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION Sot1l!H PACIFIC COMMrSSION
Dr. T. Gomez Dr. T. K. Abbott Mrs. C" Floro Mrs. C~ M. Abad
WORLD FEIERATION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION IM'ERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SOCIAL WORK
Dr. R. R.
Enr~e
D:tl,
..,~
J. Vergara
.
IV.
WHO Secretariat REPRESENrATIVE OF THE DIRECl!OR...QENERAL
Dr. P. Dorolle, Deputy Director-General Dr. I. C. Fang, Regional Director
SECRFJ1!ARY
.
.~
MINUTES OF THE FmST MEm'mG
1
OPENllll OF THE EIEVEm'H SESSION OF THE RIDIONAL CCHtrl"l'EE: Item 1 of the Provisional Agenda Dr CHANG (China), retiring Chairman, formally opened the eleventh
session of the Regional Committee for the western Pacific held at the WHO Conference Hall, Manila. Address by retiring Chairman Dr CHANG (China), retiring Chairman, having declared the Committe
in se8sion, referred to the fact that eleven months ... ~
&gO,
the Regional
Committee had met in Taipei.
His people had been greatly impressed with
the sincerity and seriousness of purpose of the representatives duricg
their stay. In his opening remarks during the previous session he had mentioned that the assistance of the Organization to governments in the development of their rural health services 8S
a great need.
He was happy to note
that in the excellent tenth Annual Report of the Regional Director, activities in the development of rural health services had been intens1t1ed. Impressive progress had been made in a number of countries and territori s with the assistance of the Organization in this and other fields. very gratified that during this session the topic of the technical discussion selected was "Rural. Health" and that many of the repres ntatives would be participating in the Public Health Conference and study Tour which
He was
would visit Singapore and the. Federation of !elaya.
He understood that
Malaya had laid great emphasis on rural hea1th in its five-year plan for
rural economic development.
He felt that the technical. discussions and th
conference and study tour were most timely and that there would be ample opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas.
66
RID IONAL COMMl.'l'rEE: ElBVEN':rH (
sma ION
In closing he expressed appreciation Dr. I.C. Fang and his entire staff.
o~
tbe support received from
He was confident that under the guidance of his· successor, the d liberations in this session would bring furtlJ,er advances in the task which they were pursuing together. 2 (For full text see Annex 1.)
ADIRESS BY THE IlEPUrY DIRECTOR-GENERAL: Item 2 of the Provisional Agenda Dr CHANG (China), retiring Chairman, welcomed Dr. P. Dorolie, the
•
Deputy Dire ctor-Ge neral , and invited him to address the meeting. Address by the Deputy Director-General Dr DOROLIE, Deputy Director-General, stated that it was a great
-
privilege to address this meeting of the eleventh session of the Regional Committ for the Western Pacific of WHO on behalf of the Director-General, He should be here in person, but because of the international
Dr. Candau.
developments in the last few days and the heavy burden placed on him as a result of the emergency in the Congo he felt he could not leave Headquarters at the present time. personalities present. Dr DOROLIE paid special respect to some eminent
First, to the Philippine delegation headed by On behalf
His Excellency the Secretary of Health, Dr. Elpidio Valencia.
of the Director-General he thanked him again for the hospitalitythe Philippin Government had extended and was stili extending to the Regional Office. The Committee had the honour to have present two Presidents of the
World Health Assembly in the persons of the present PreSident, Dr. H.B. Turbott, in his capacity as leader of the delegation of New Zealand, and among the representatives of the non-governmental organizations) Dr. Juan Salcedo, a past President. The Committee had also the privilege of the presence of
MINt1l'E8 OF THE FOOT MEErOO
a member of the Executive Board, Dr. Le Cuu Truong.
He stated that this was
a symbol of the close link of the governing bodies of the Organization to this region. He referred to the unique role the Regional COmmittees had in Their essential function ws to keep a close wtch on th They also proVided an oppor-
the Organization.
planning and implementation of the programme.
tunity for representatives to discuss in a more intimate and less formal atmosphere than the World Health Assembly, matters which were more or less similar within a region, with a better understanding of the problems because of their similarity. He stated that this session had many important
problems to discuss, but it had also a very important duty to perform which ws the nomination of the Regional Director. In conclusion, he stated that
it ws a great honour for the Director-General to be represented in the Regional Committee and, on his behalf, he wished the Committee a happy and successful session. (For full text see Annex
2.)
3
ElECTION OF NEW OFFICERS: CHAIRMAN, VICE-CHAIRMAN AND RAPPORTEURS:
Item 3 of the Provisional Agenda Dr VAIENCIA (Philippines) nominated Dr LEE (United States of America)
as Chairman; this ws seconded by Dr KIM (Korea). Decision: There being no further nominations} Dr LEE (United States of America) was elected unanimously. Dr LEE (United States of America) thanked the Committee for the
confidence shown in electing him Chairman of the eleventh session of the Regional Committee. It was a great honour and privilege to serve and
work with the Committee and perform the duties which had been so well outlined by the Deputy Director-General. Dr LEE ws confident
68
REGIONAL COMMrrTEE: ELEVENTH SESSION
that the Committee and the Secretariat would give him the assistance and support required in attaining the various objectives. On behalf of the
Committee, he congratulated the outgoing Cha.1rman on the excellent work he had performed in the past year.
Dr CHANG (China) nomil'l8ted Dr TEN (Malaya) as Vice-Chairman; this
was seconded by Dr IlOWNl!S (Australia). Decision: There being no further nominations, Dr TEN (*laya) was elected unanimously. Dr BAIRD (United Kingdom) nominated Dr ImANENDONK (Netherland&)
as
Rapporteur for the English language; this was seconded by Dr TEN (Ma.l.aya) and unanimously approved. Dr TRUONG (Viet Nam) nominated Dr ~OO (Portugal) as Rapporteur
for th
French language; this was seconded by Dr KRANENDONK (Netherlands)
and unanimously approved.
4.
ADImBS BY IE. E. VAIENCIA, SEClmWcr OF HEAIJrH, PHILIPPINE On behalf of his Government a.nd people 1 Dr VAlENCIA (Phillppines)
greet d the representatives a.nd the Deputy Director-General of WHO and wish d them a very pleasant stay in Manila. He congratulated the newly-
elected Cha.1rma.n and officers of the Regional Committee and assured them of his delegation's support. Th meeting in Taipei last year had yielded results which contributed to great r international understanding and further promotion of health. 'Dle
FUipino people had been blessed with better health than at any time of the
MINt11'ES OF THE FmST MEmING
country I s history and significant gains had been made in the improvement of health. The lowest infant mortality rate had been achieved, while an '!he total death rate was lower
increase in birth rate had been registered.
than at any time in the past and the average life span of the Filipino lengthened. The fight against communicable and infectious diseases had
progressed, with lower mortality rates. Dr VAIENCIA (Ph1l1ppines) said that his Government was aware of the
valuable work being done by the World Health Organization and the influ nce it had on national health efforts. He reiterated his Government's pledg
to work with cO-Member States in eradicating disease and achieving a complet physical,mental and social well-being for all mankind. see Annex 3.) (For full text,
5
ADlEESS BY mCOMING CHAlRM\N: Item 4 of the Provisional. Agenda It was agreed that the incoming Cha1rman would address the CODIIl1ttee
at its next session, tomorrow morning.
6
ADOPrION OF THE PROVISIONAL AGENJ)\: Item 5 of the Provisional Agenda (Document WP/RCll/l Rev.l) Decision: The provisional agenda was adopted unan1mous~.
7
1lI!EIGNATION OF CHAIRMAN OF THE TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS: Item 6.1 of the Agenda Dr M\NGAY, Medical Specia.list of the Philippine Department of Health,
was designated Chairman of the Technical Discussions.
It was agreed that details
she should address the meeting on Monday morning and explain th
70
REG IONAL COMMITrEE: EIEVENl'H SESS ION
of the Technical Discussions prograume.
8
ACCEPrANCE OF THE PROGRAM4E FOR TECHNICAL DI8CtBSIONS: Item 6.2 of the Agenda (Document WP/RCll/Tf12 Rev.l) The CHAIRMAN referred to document WP jRclljT'OO Rev.l which, a8 already
mentioned, would be explained to the Committee in detail on Monday lOOming by the Chairman of the Technical Discussions.. As part of the programme,
a field visit to Bulacan would be made by the group at the invitation of th Secretary of Health of the Philippines,. Dr. Valencia.
9
ESTABLlBHMENT OF THE SUB-COMMl'l'l'EE ON PROGRAMME AND BuroET: Item 7 of the Agenda In accordance with the principle of rotation, it was agreed that the
membership should be composed of representatives from Australia, France, Korea, Laos, Netherlands, Portugal and the Un!ted States of America (Chairman). It was also agreed that the Sub-Committee would meet at 2.30 p.m. and. that, if nec seary, the discussions would continue on Saturday afternoon.
10
ACKN~
BY THE CHA.mMAN OF BRIEF REPORTS RECEIVED FROM GO\lERNMENrS ON THE IROGRmS OF THEm HFAI1l.'H ACTIVITIES: Item 8 of the Agenda
The CHAmMAN stated that progress reports on health activities had been received from the following countries: AustraJ.1a, Brunei, China (Taiwan),
Fiji, Guam, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaya, Netherlands New Guinea, North Borneo, Papua and New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Timor, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands and Viet Nam.. He thanked the governments concerned tor
MINUT:EE OF THE FmST MEETING
71
submitting these reports, copies of which had been circulated to all representatives. Dr BAmD (United Kingdom) apologized for the absence of Sarawak from
the list of countries which had submitted health reports.
He had hoped
that this wou2d be available before coming here but due to circumstances beyond his control he had been unable to p:-esent it to the Committee. explained that in the United Kingclom territories and probably in other territories, annual reports similar to that submitted to the Regional Committee by the Government of Japan were prepared by the public health adm1n1stra.tions. It was not easy to ensure that such reports could be A certain amount of W02:'k He
r a.dy before the Regional Committee meeting.
went into their preparation - material had to be collected and analyzed. Dr BAmD suggested, i'or the Regional Director's consideration, that in
the future, representatives be invited to present formeJ.ly before th Committee their governments I reports if it had not been possible to get them reaiy a.nd f'or.isrded to V.tanila. for circulation by the Regional Office. This would permit representatives to ha.ve more comprehensive reports on the work of other Member governments. Dr TUREO'l'T (New Zealand) mentioned that it would be noted that
New Zea.land reports.
WE..S
absent from the list of countries which had provided
This vm.s quite deliberate and his Government had upheld its a.nn~l
thinking that the
report was sufficient and that it gave undue work
to those concerned :1 n preparing a resume of the annual report tor the Regional Committee meeting. He welcomed the suggestion that the annual
reports of the territories should be sufficient and would give a better
72
REG IONAL COMMITTEE:' ELEVENTH SESSION
picture of the health activities than the present brief resumes. The REGIONAL DmECTOR explained that the requirement that governments submit brief reports on the progress of their health activities had arisen from a r3q'l0~'!;
made by the RegionaJ. Committee.
The Secretariat
had no comments on the matter except that it felt that reports 3Ubm1tted by governments had been fo~nd
to be very useful..
These reports were
translated into the two working la.nguages, duplicated and distributed tothe government representatives attending the Regional Committee meetings. The REGIONAL DlBECTOR said that the r:-:<h'].,:,:::.sm of the system was for the Committee to decide and the Secreto.ria.t would carry out the Committee's mandate. Dr TEN (Ma.la.ya) stated that his Government would prefer to submit
reports in the present form. of Japan which was
He referred to the report of the Government
dated 1960 ana. mentioned that his Government I s latest The report ·he
annual report was dated 1958 and 'Was still in draft form. had presented toda.y was only a brief summa...'"Y.
Dr TEN believed that it was
easier if governments submitted reports in the present form. The CHAlRM\N so.id tha.t the Regional Director had made a point. governments might not be as efficient and cxpec~tious
Some
as the Government of
Japan in the subm:::"ssion of thei:" annual reports. Dr BAmD (United Kingdom) explAined that he was not. undertaking, on
behalf of his delegation, to p::::-esent a report for 1960 but he would like the Committee to have a report for 1959. He lJuggested that perhaps Dr. Ten ~ha.t
might try to "oil the wheels It in M11a.ya. so more expeditiously.
reports could be produced
"
. MINUTES OF THE FmST MEETING
73
Dr TEN (teJ.aya) remarked that it
'W88
not a natter of "oiling wheels"
but what the Committee required of its members. Regarding the submission of reports, Dr KRANENDONK (Netherlands) noted that the annual report of the Regional. Director covered the period 1 July 1959 - 30 June 1960. Genera.lly, government reports covered the period He wondered whether
1 January - 31 December of the relevant year.
governments shoul.d submit reports covering the same period as that of the Regional Director's report, or adhere to the present procedure. The REGIONAL DIRECTOR stated that reports presently required were brief summaries of the main and. significant health activities during th period under review. The Regional Office was fully a'W8.re of the ava1.lab1l1ty
of more comprehensive reports which were preserved as permanent records of the Organization. The information contained therein was not only used'
by this office and the WHO Headquarters but also disseminated to government ••
The RmIONAL DlRECTOR expressed the view tha.t the arrangements concerning the submission of these two :reports were not conflicting. The fact that
the Government of Japan was quite prompt in preparing and submitting its annual report might be a bit upsetting to some, but it was not unusual for government reports to be issued a year or more later. The fact that
comprehensive annual reports might be received two or three years lat r increased the va1ue of the brief reports in that ,the latter provided and up-to-date information. The DEPt1l'Y DIRECTOR-GENERAL stated that the RegiOnal. Director had pointed out very well that two entirely different things were involved: (1) the exchange of current information which was as up to dat as possibl.e, ~
'>
74 depending on th structur or traditions of the given health administration,
and (2) the production of reports on the heaJ.th situations in the various countries, which was a constitutional responsibility of governments. The
latter reports were used in the preparation of the report on the world health situation. The first report on the world health situation had been
published and the second, which covered a four-year period, was being prepared. The Committee 'Would, therefore, note that these two reports
were quite different from each other. The CHAnuoAN hoped that that explanations given would clarify the point raised by the representative from the United Kingdom. The value of
the brief reports and the annual reports were well understood by the Committee. Dr BAIRD (United Kingdom) suggested that governments desiring to present
brief annual reports should be permitted to do so, if they so wished. The CHAIRMlN remarked that the discussions had given the Committee a better picture of the value and usefulness of these reports.
11
ELECTION OF THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Item 9 of the Agenda (Document WP/RCll/2) Prior to action being taken on the above item of the agenda, the
Committee had a short recess to permit the meeting to be held in private. A secret ballot was held, as a result of which the Committee adopted a resolution recormnending the extension of the term of office of Dr. I.C. Fang from 1 July 1961 to 30 June 1966. Decision; The draft r solution was adopted (see r solution WP!RCll.Rl) •
MINUTE5 OF THE FIRST MEETmG
75/16
The CHAlRMI\N informed the Regional Director that his nomination had been a unanimous one and that the Committee would be very pleased to submit this nomination to the Executive Board. The Rlin IONAL DIRECTOR remarked that he was deeply moved by the action taken by the Committee in nominating him once again as Regional Director for the western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization. He accepted
the nomination with an awareness of the increasing responsibilities whiCh the position carried. The Committee had been very kind and generous in
extending him its assistance, co-operation and guidance and he hoped that
it would continue to do so.
This feeling gave him the strength and the He expressed his
courage to shoulder the responsibilities that lay ahead.
deep appreciation of the honour, trust and confidence whiCh the Committee had given him, and assured the Committee that he would do his best to carry
out his duties. The DEPUTY DmECTOR-GENERAL said that the Director-Genera.l would be very happy to hear that the Regional Committee had unanimously nominated Dr. Fang, in whom the Director-General had muCh confidence.
The meeting adjourned at 11.35 a.m.
MINUTES OF TEE FmST MEmlNG
77 ANNEX 1
ADmESS OF IE. C.K. CHANG
(Retiring Chairman) Fellow representatives, ladies and gentlemen, I have the honour and great pleasure to open the eleventh session
ot the WHO Regional Committee for the western Pacific.
I wish to extend
a most sincere and hearty welcome to representatives of the Member governments, to Dr. Dorolle, representing the D1rector-General, to the representatives of the United Nations, the United Nations Technical Assistance Boe.rd and UNICEF and to representatives of non-governmental. agencies • . About eleven months ago, the Regional Committee's tenth sesSion,
ot which I had the honour to be the chairman, was held in Taipei.
My
people were greatly impressed with the sincerity and seriousness of
purpose ot the honourable representatives during your stay with us.
It
gives me the opportunity today again to join with you here in this great city where our regiooaJ. office is seated, and it also enable. me to convey the greetings of my Government to all of you. In my opening remarks during the previous session, I had mentioned that the assistance of this organization to the governments in the development of their rural health services was in great need. We are
happy to note that in the excellent tenth Annual Report of the Reg1onaJ. Director, activities in the developnent of rural health services have been intensU1ed. ImpreSSive progres£I has been made in a number of
countr1e" and territories with th9 assistance of this organization in this and otherf1elds. th
I am very gratified that during this s asion
topic of the teeb.nical discussion seJ.ected 1.8 ''Rural. Health" and
REGIONAL COMMITTEE : ELEVENTH SESSION
that many of us will be participating in the Public Health Conference and study Tour which would visit Singapore and the Federation of ~laya.
I
understand that Malaya has laid great emphasis on rural health in its fiveyear plan for rural economic development. I feel that the technical
discussions and the conference and study tour are most timely and that we will have ample opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas. I wish to express our deep gratitude for the support that we have receiv d from our fine Regional Director, Dr. I. C. Fang, and his entire staff. •
I am confident that under the guidance of my successor, our deliberations in this session will bring further advances in the task which we are pursuing together.
MINUTES OF THE FIRST MEETING ANNEX 2
19
ADDRESS OF DR. P.M. DOROLLE (Deputy Director-General)
It is a great privilege, Mr. Chairman, to address this meeting of the eleventh session of the Regional Committee for the western Pacific of WHO on behalf of our Director-General, Dr. Candau. In fact, according
to the plan he made, he should be here in person and it is only due to the international developments in the la.st few days end the heavy burden pl.aced on his part because of the emergency in the COngo that he fel.t he could not l.eave our Headquarters at the present time and has decided that his Deputy should come instead. This gives me, Mr. Chairman, the great
pl.easure to come back to 'What one of our friends, in a private gathering yesterday, called my old region and to be among you today. I should like to pay special respects to some eminent personalities present in this room. It is great enough for us to see the Philippine
delegation headed by His Excellency the Secretary of Health, Dl". E1pidio Valencia, and on behalf' of the Director-General I wish to thank him again for the hospitality the Philippine Government has extended, and is ex· tending, to this regional office in this wonderful City of Manila. W
have the great honour to have in this room t'VTO Presidents of the World Health Assembly in the persons of the present President, Dr. H. B. Turbott, in his capacity as leader of the delegation of New Zealand, and among the representati ves of the non..governmental organizations, Dr. Juan Salcedo, & past President .
We have also the privilege of the presence of a member This is a symbol of the clos WHO
of the Executive Board, Dr. Le Cuu Truong.
links between the diff r nt governing bodies of our organization.
80
REG roNAL COMMITTEE: ELEVENTH SESSION
is divided into six regions but it is not a federation, it is one organization with branches tha:b are so close to each other that we have this pleasant happening of the present President of the World Health Assembly also being a member of the Regional Committee. different levels, but of the same importance. These two bodies are of Nothing is more characteristic
of the World Health Organization than the existence of inter-governmental bodies at the regional level, established by the Constitution. a unique feature in the family of the United Nations. This is • I
There are other
gov rnmental cOmmittees, like the Economic Commission of the United Nations, but they have not the same constitutional and statutory nature as a part of the structure of the organization as our regional committees have. regional committees have a unique role in the Organization, and their essential function is to have a close watch on the planning of the programme and its implementation. In an organization like ours which has passed the The
mark of 100 in the membership, it is not possible in the Health Assembly to have close, intimate contacts with the country programmes and this is essential to an orderly development of our work. Also, the regional com-
mittee meetings give the opportunity to representatives to get together in a more intimate and less formal atmosphere than the Assembly and to discuss matters which are more or less similar within a region, with a better understanding of the problems because of the similarity. The
• ~ j
increase of membership of WHO, an increase 'Which is particularly evident in the past months due to the attainment of independence by a number of
I
1
new countries, has made the role of the Regional Committee as the meeting place where similar problems can be discussed in an intimate atmosphere, more and more important.
•
MINUTES OF THE FmST MERrING
81/82.
The present session is important because, as usual, it has a number of :lnq>ortant problems to discuss but it has only a very important duty to perform which is the nomination of the Regional D1rector, nomination for the consideration of the Executive Board. This is an aspect of th main
duty of the regional committees Which is to supervise the work of the Regional Office and, I am sure, in its wisdom the Comm1ttee will recommend to the Board an excellent nomination. Mr. Chairman, it is a great honour for the Director-General to be
represented in the Regional Committee which he considers as an essential part of his functions and again, on his behalf', I wish to this Coum1ttee happy session and full success.
/~.-
,<
.
;;
MINUTES OF THE FIRST MEETING
ANNEX 3 ADDRESS OF DR. E. VAIENCIA
(S0~;1:''1':;:':~r
0-::: Rcnlth, Phi_lippines)
Mr. Chairman" Distinguished Delegates and Respected Colleagues"
Ladies and Gentlemen, In behalf of our Government and people , it is my pleasure and honour to greet the delegates to this session, as well as our distinguished Deputy Director-General, Dr. Dorolie. We welcome you to our country, and we share together with the Regional Director and his staff" hopes for a fruitful and pleasant stay. To the newly elected Chair:nw., Dr. Richard K. C. Lee, representative from the United States of America, our warmest congratulations. To him
and to the new set of officers, our delegation expresses our highest respect and beg to assure them of our sincere co..operation. Since we met in Taipei last year, much has transpired. ship we had in that wonderf'ul cj:~y
The comrade.
has yielded results contributory to
greater international understanding and the further promotion of health. Our people have been blessed last year with better health than at
any time in our history. health.
Significant gains were made in improving their
We have experienced the lowest infant mortality rate while reThe total death rate has also
gister1ng an increase in the birth rate.
been lower than at any time in the past, and the average life of the Filipino has further been lengthened.
Our fight against communicabl
and infectious diseases has likewise hearteningly gained headway with lower mortal1ty rates. Together with peace-!oving peoples all over the world, we are aware of the valuable work and influence on national health efforts of th
REG IONAL COMMITrEE: ELEVENTH SESSION
World Health Organization.
We, wish to avail of this opportunity to express
.
our appreciation of the WHO's help, and to our co-member-states and WHO affiliates our best wishes. We renew our pledge to work together not only
for the eradication of disease, but more so, for the complete, physical, mental and social well-being of all mankind. Again, to our new Chairman and Officers, congratulations '.
),
I
j •