Health and Medical Care
Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO)
On December 16, 2015, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), paid a courtesy call to Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan for approximately 10 minutes. The overview of the meeting is as follows:
1. Prime Minister Abe first stated that Japan has been promoting health system strengthening and universal health coverage (UHC), reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Prime Minister Abe told Dr. Chan that Japan places importance on health-related issues, including responses to public health emergencies, which are to be discussed at the G7 Ise-Shima Summit and TICAD VI, to be held in Africa for the first time. Prime Minister Abe expressed his hope for WHO to lead global efforts towards strengthening public health responses to emergencies and also to better prepare for these emergencies. Prime Minister Abe also expressed his expectations for WHO to step up regarding the ongoing reform of its organization.
2. Dr. Chan said she was pleased with the article by Mr. Abe in the Lancet (PDF) and commended Japan for being the champion on UHC. She also congratulated Japan for providing support for global health. Dr. Chan promised to collaborate regarding the success of the G7 Ise-Shima Summit, the G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting and TICAD VI. Dr. Chan shared the view on the importance of prepardedness. Dr. Chan stressed that it is crucial for developing countries to be able to build national health systems without depending only on Official Development Assistance (ODA).