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The Minister of Health, Michalis Hadjipandela, represented the Republic of Cyprus at a high-level meeting organised by the World Health Organisation, on 17-18 March 2022 in Istanbul, entitled "HighLevel Meeting on Health and Migration".
In his intervention in the section "Our roadmap for the future" ("Our Roadmap for the Future"), the Minister of Health focused on migration as an important issue directly linked to public health. This issue, he said, is particularly sensitive for Cyprus, which is in full alignment with the policy of the European Union.
Although the prolonged pandemic COVID-19 has absorbed a large part of the state budget, he said. Hajipandela, however, it would be a mistake to overlook the public health sector. The lessons learned from the management of the pandemic should be taken seriously and the message passed on to everyone that no one is safe unless we are all safe. Hajipandela urged meeting participants to seek to channel some of the health resources to migration and especially to preventive control and shielding against communicable diseases. In particular, he said, "I am convinced that if we do not act in advance and with determination, we will face emerging risks that will be difficult and will require resources to manage."
The conclusion, he said, is that Cyprus supports a firm and unified approach for a consistent, collective and integrated effort to safeguard public health, while expressing his wish and hope for a positive impact of the event on the specific population that really needs support.
During the high-level meeting on health and migration, Minister of Health Michael Hadjipandela held a bilateral meeting with the World Health Organization's Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge. During the meeting, ways of cooperation were explored and Mr. Hadjipandela raised the urgent need for the availability of affordable innovative pharmaceutical products in Europe.
During his presence in Istanbul, the Minister of Health also met with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to whom he expressed the support of the Ministry of Health to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as his great joy and emotion for the meeting.
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