Mental health in crisis
Mental health in crisis

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Friday (28 May 2021) United Nations human rights experts called upon the Council of Europe to withdraw a possible new legal instrument that would maintain an approach to mental health policy and practice that is based on coercion, which is incompatible with contemporary human rights principles and standards.

The United Nations experts who are having extensive expertise in the field of disability, mental health and human rights noted that “Overwhelming evidence from the European Disability Forum, Mental Health Europe and other organizations and growing consensus within the United Nations including at the World Health Organization, show that forced admission to medical institutions and coercive treatments in institutions will bring harmful effects such as pain, trauma, humiliation, shame, stigmatisation and fear to people with psychosocial disabilities.”

What is the actual scene? How widespread is the use of forced admissions and coercive treatments?

The European Times will be covering the matter in an article series starting today.

See also article on Council of Europe in big controversy here.

List:

  1. Use of coercion and force is widespread in psychiatry. 3 June 2021
  2. European psychiatry in bad shape. 3 June 2021
  3. Patients see restraints as torture. 5 June 2021
  4. The WHO seeks to end human rights violations in psychiatry. 11 June 2021

 

 

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Greece and the WHO Regional Office for Europe commit to strengthening their collaboration on quality of care and patient safety
Greece and the WHO Regional Office for Europe commit to strengthening their collaboration on quality of care and patient safety

WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge, and the Minister of Health of the Hellenic Republic, Dr Vasileios Kikilias, signed a joint statement on strengthening collaboration on quality of care and patient safety.

Joint statement by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe and Dr Vasileios Kikilias, Minister of Health of the Hellenic Republic

15 October 2020

The Ministry of Health of the Hellenic Republic and the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) share a common ambition to achieve the highest level of well-being, health and health protection, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Building on WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019-2023, WHO/Europe has developed a new European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”. It sets out a vision of how WHO/Europe can better support countries in meeting citizens’ expectations regarding health and access to health care, leaving no one behind. WHO/Europe aims to step up support for its Member States in moving towards universal health coverage, protecting people better against health emergencies, and ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all at all ages.

The new European Programme of Work, which was recently adopted by the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region, provides a good opportunity to reflect on the coherence of policies, structures and resources for ensuring quality of health care, and the implications for policy dialogue, policy formulation and technical assistance at the regional, subregional and country levels. Its focus on universal health coverage underlines the importance of continuity of care and taking a life-course approach.

Greece has recently spearheaded important developments in the field of health, namely its legislation banning smoking in public places, the launch of the National Action Plan Against Smoking, and reforms in the area of primary health care. A major development has been in the area of quality of care and patient safety, with the launch of the relevant law and the establishment of the National Quality of Care Organization. The above, combined with the excellence of Greek health institutions and its top-class researchers in the field of health and well-being, demonstrate Greece’s strong leadership in the context of the European Region and beyond; furthermore, they create an ideal context for the establishment of a much-needed centre of excellence in the area of quality of care and patient safety.

The envisaged centre would serve the needs of the southern European countries, with a particular focus on the provision of technical assistance, support and leadership in relation to quality of care and patient safety.

Working together

Within the scope of these priorities and mutual interests, and considering the added value for the WHO European Region, its southern European Member States, and the Ministry of Health of the Hellenic Republic, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and Greece will work towards strengthening our collaboration through the establishment of a WHO centre of excellence for quality of care to be based in Athens, Greece.

World Food Safety Day: From planting to your plate, everyone has a role to play
World Food Safety Day: From planting to your plate, everyone has a role to play

by United Nations

Eating contaminated food has caused an estimated 600 million people in the world, or almost one-in-ten individuals, to fall ill – 420,000 of whom die every year, two UN specialized agencies highlighted on Sunday, World Food Safety Day.

Joining forces, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) flagged that “food safety is a shared responsibility” with a role for everyone to play, from governments, industry and producers to business operators and consumers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also shined a spotlight on the importance of monitoring and addressing food safety; adapting food safety systems to respond to supply chain disruptions; and ensuring the continued access to safe food.

The Head of FAO’s Food Safety and Quality Unit attested that in these challenging times, this year’s motto – food safety is everybody’s business – is “more pertinent than ever”.

“No matter what else is going on, every single person still needs safe food every day”, said Markus Lipp. “We cannot let up in our vigilance to ensure that our food is safe”.

An investment in health

Safe food is not only critical to better health and food security, but also for livelihoods, economic development, trade and the international reputation of every country.

“Millions of people around the world depend on international trade for their food security and livelihoods”, the heads of FAO, QU Dongyu, WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Roberto Azevedo, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in a joint statement

“As countries move to enact measures aiming to halt the accelerating COVID-19 pandemic, care must be taken to minimize potential impacts on the food supply or unintended consequences on global trade and food security.”

The agencies maintained that each year, an estimated 700,000 people die around the globe because of antimicrobial-resistant infections.

“Improving hygiene practices in the food and agricultural sectors helps to reduce the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance along the food chain and in the environment”, they explained. 

Emphasizing the need for better data to understand the far-reaching impacts of unsafe food, WHO and FAO upheld that an investment in consumer food safety education  has the potential to reduce foodborne disease and return savings of up to ten-fold for each dollar provided.

“We must ensure that our response to COVID-19 does not unintentionally create unwarranted shortages of essential items and exacerbate hunger and malnutrition”, the FAO, WHO, WTO chiefs stated. “Now is the time to show solidarity, act responsibly and adhere to our common goal of enhancing food security, food safety and nutrition and improving the general welfare of people around the world”.

Food production

Infections caused by contaminated food have a much higher impact on populations with poor or fragile health, impacting infants, pregnant women and elderly and sick people more severely, and sometimes even leading to death, according to WHO.

Meanwhile, throughout the various stages of today’s complex supply chains, opportunities for food contamination prevail, from on-farm production to slaughtering or harvesting and during the course of processing, storage, transport and distribution.

Moreover, the globalization of food production and trade is making the food chain even longer, complicating foodborne disease outbreak investigations and emergency product recalls.

And the effects of food contamination reach far beyond direct public health consequences. It undermines food exports, tourism, food handler livelihoods and economic development, in both developed and developing countries.

To improve food safety, WHO advocates for different governmental departments and agencies – encompassing public health, agriculture, education and trade – to collaborate with each other as well as to engage civil society, including consumer groups.

Addressing the issue

To help ensure food safety and quality control, systems must be strengthened at national, regional and international levels, says FAO.

Among other things, this requires: 

  • Leadership in assessing and developing food control systems, including policy and regulatory frameworks.
  • Institutional and individual management, including the management of food safety emergencies.
  • Sound scientific advice to underpin standards at national, regional and international levels. 
  • Platforms, databases and mechanisms that support dialogue and global access to information.
  • Collection, analysis and communication of food chain intelligence.
WHO joins forces with 17 central European countries to step up tailored COVID-19 response
WHO joins forces with 17 central European countries to step up tailored COVID-19 response

by WHO Europe

A joint task force has been established by WHO/Europe and the Central European Initiative (CEI) to respond to COVID-19 and step up regional coordination to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

Comprising key health officials from the 17 CEI member states, the task force will serve as a strategic platform for updating member states, exchanging information, and sharing experiences, best practices and training. The goal of the task force is to encourage a coherent response and anticipate any unfavourable consequences that may stem from the pandemic, while shifting towards easing of restrictions and recovery.

With the CEI Executive Secretariat providing coordination and support, and WHO/Europe contributing scientific advice to the discussions, the twice monthly meetings will serve as a forum for CEI countries to express their needs and priorities, and establish common understanding of internationally recommended strategies that are rooted in science and are evidence-based.

Health at the centre of recovery

During the coming weeks, the task force is set to focus on economic and socioeconomic recovery, the recovery of health systems and safe easing of restrictions. Working groups will be set up as needed to help outline the functions and priorities of the task force, taking a closer look at thematic areas, such as COVID-19 implications for border management and tourism as summer approaches.

The importance of keeping health at the centre of socioeconomic recovery, identifying and evaluating potential risks during the transition phase, easing restrictions safely, and preventing the virus from resurging was stressed by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in his address to the member states during the Extraordinary Virtual Meeting of CEI Heads of Government on 15 May 2020.

Through the task force, WHO/Europe, the CEI Executive Secretariat, the countries in the region and experts in various health fields will work together to equip the member states with robust mechanisms to tackle common challenges and strengthen their COVID-19 response, with tangible results for the entire region.