The Health Ministers from SICA member countries are meeting in Belize. Ministers from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, and Honduras are being hosted by Health Minister Jose Coye in his capacity as the President of COMISCA - the Council of Ministers of Health of Central America. Discussions focused on HIV/Aids, nutritional security, human resources in health, and avian influenza. Health Minister Coye spoke to the media at the close of today's meeting.
Hon. Jose Coye, President - COMISCA
"We have looked at a policy for example, a regional policy for medication where we can strengthen our position in the purchasing, in the market, and of course to bring down the cost of medication as it is well known to be a high cost in the health sector, in the input. We have also had a response plan for the bird flu which can in fact, if not properly dealt with, can become disastrous and undermine development of our region. We have looked extensively at human resource development and that education and development for our health care provider. We have looked at integration or intervention strategies in the prevention of the HIV/Aids virus which is a pandemic that is threatening this region. And we have looked at nutritional security. So I think the last two days certainly will be historical in particularly if we can make the proposals of COMISCA being strengthened in the delivery of healthcare for the region, it will be historical and that will be a great step forward."
The meeting doesn't conclude until Sunday when Health Minister Coye will pass over presidency to Guatemala's Health Minister - Alfredo Antonio Privado.
