ECOSOC meeting:

Focuses on health care financing

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Annual Ministerial Review, Regional Ministerial Meeting on

Financing Strategies for Healthcare will be held at Cinnamon Grand Hotel,

Colombo from March 16 to 18. Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka, Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and several other guests will take part at the inauguration.

Around 120 delegates from 11 countries will take part in this event. There will be 11 ministers from 11 countries. Finance Ministers, Foreign Affairs Ministers and Health Ministers will be among them. The meeting will be hosted by the Sri Lankan Government.

Topics to be addressed by expert panellists during the meeting will include domestic and external financing for healthcare, as well as challenges for health systems in countries in or following crisis. A special session will also be held to highlight good practices and new initiatives on financing healthcare.

Opening remarks of the meeting will be delivered by Vice President, Untied Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Ambassador Hamidon Ali, Assistant Secretary General, Untied Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNDESA), Thomas Steltzer, and Deputy Director General, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Anarfi Asamoa-Baah.

The statement by the Executive Secretary, Untied Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia-Pafific (UNESCAP) will be delivered by the Chief, Social Development Division, UNESCAP, Thelma Kay.

There will be four Panels and the first panel will be on Domestic financing for healthcare. Professor of Economics, University of Colombo, Prof. Weligama D. Lakshman will be the moderator of this panel.

The second panel will be on `External financing for healthcare' and it will be moderated by Director, Department of Health Systems Financing (HSF), World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. David B. Evans. The third panel will be on challenges for health systems in countries in or (listed) crisis'.