World Health Organization (WHO)
Mandate:
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.WHO is the United Nations’ specialized agency for health which objective is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.
In Kosovo since: 1998
The WHO Disaster Preparedness and Response programme started working in Kosovo in early 1998. A humanitarian assistance office was set up to monitor the public health situation of vulnerable groups. The political situation escalated into a crisis in 1999, WHO was the leading agency in Kosovo in coordination of emergency response During 2000 WHO in close collaboration with local authorities and the UNMIK Department of Health and Social Welfare, coordinated the health sector at central and local level.WHO activities included regular health coordination meetings, health assessments, continuos monitoring of access to health care of minority and vulnerable groups, monitoring and situation analysis reports ,the timely publication of the Kosovo health Talks later Health Action in Kosovo, the Family Doctor bulletin and the provision of specific guidelines based on recognized international standards. In 2002 WHO moved to its traditional role as advisor to the local health authorities while also continuing to support the emergency health interventions and response needs when requested. Within the changing context, WHO has shifted from providing large-scale health humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable to assisting the authorities in health system rehabilitation.
WHO in Kosovo is continuosly supporting a range of public health programmes:
- supporting the development of key health policy and strategic documents on public health and particularly: health policy and planning, primary care and family medicine, maternal and child health, mental health, communicable and noncommunicable disease, immunization, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, measles/rubella and polio campaigns, health promoting schools, environmental health, and developing health programmes and building capacity of the health system;
- strengthening community-based approach to mental health, which laid the ground for the reform process and contributed to the development of mental health activities under the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe;
- strengthening the public health system to develop an efficient early warning system (EWARN) for communicable disease surveillance and control and outbreak response, contributing to the development of communicable disease activities in the framework of the Stability Pact and laid the ground for the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR);
- promoting and establishing voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) centres integrated in the national HIV/AIDS institutions, establishing a second generation of HIV/AIDS surveillance and introducing an up-to-date STI case management and reporting mechanism;
- strengthening primary health care through a family medicine approach, leading to the primary health care reform process;
- addressing the emergency health needs associated with the widespread lead and heavy metal contamination in the Mitrovica area in close collaboration with UNMIK, mostly affecting the vulnerable living in settlements.
Contacts:
WHO office
Mr. Skender Syla
Address: National Institute of Public Health,
Pristina, 10 000
Tel: +381 (0) 38 549 216/218/219
Fax: +381 (0) 38 549 217
Email: who@ipko.org
More on WHO Web: www.who.int