Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete is Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services and was Chair of the 2019 Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting. He outlines the commitments made by ministers at the meeting and reinforces the call for Commonwealth member states to accelerate progress in delivering universal health coverage and safeguard vulnerable populations.
Bula Vinaka!
I was honoured and humbled to Chair the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHMM) in Geneva on 19 May 2019, in which the health ministers of the 54 member countries, representing some 2.4 billion people, acknowledged the many challenges we now face, and re-emphasised the commitment of the Commonwealth towards the global goal of universal health coverage (UHC).
The theme of the meeting – Universal Health Coverage: Reaching the unreached, ensuring no one is left behind – was fitting at a time such as this, when many internal and external influences are threatening the health of our communities and, in some instances, the very existence of our people…
The Hon Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete
Minister for Health and Medical Services, Fiji
