It is only the overall development of our countries and people that will solve the problems at their source. Furthermore, we urge the WHO to work towards the identification and implementation of durable, development orientated solutions to alleviate external debt and to solve the debt-servicing problems of our developing countries. As a region our fundamental goal is to build health systems that are based on the twin foundations of equity and justice. In pursuit of our goals we are fully aware that there will be no easy victories and that there will be many obstacles in our path. However, we remain committed to our vision and its practical implementation because for us, access to health care is above-all, a basic human right.
Mental health poses a major challenge to our underdeveloped services.
We welcome the emphasis and prominence that the WHA has given to this problem. We believe better integration of mental health with other health services will contribute to dealing with the stigma associated with mental and neurological illnesses. We also look forward to the discussions on infant and child nutrition. We hope that we will address this matter with due regard also to how we can support the mothers to better cope with the challenges of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding. In the past year we undertook a number of initiatives at the regional level to complement the many activities taking place at the country level.