Dr. Mirta Roses Sworn In For 2nd Term At PAHO, USA

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 04 Feb 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Dr. Mirta Roses, the first woman in charge of the oldest health institution in the world, begins her second term as Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), saying "As we envision the future, we can dare to dream about events that will become a part of the long history of successes achieved by those who came before us."

In a ceremony with authorities from several countries and regional organizations, Dr. Roses took the oath of office from the Minister of Health of Chile, Dr. María Soledad Barría, who was President of the 27th Pan American Sanitary Conference.

"This is above all a day of commitment. Today I renew my oath to devote myself tirelessly, day by day, hour by hour, to keeping PAHO at the forefront of the response to the regional and global challenges in public health and, particularly, to serve as an instrument for bringing good health to the most neglected, vulnerable, marginalized, and excluded populations," she said.

"This triple dimension," she added, "reflects the diversity and complexity of political and structural processes in this Region, which unfortunately continues to be known as the most unequal in wealth distribution, while simultaneously bearing the burden of cumulative social debt, despite the abundance of its natural resources and the rich products of its human talent."

Dr. Roses noted that her five-year term, "Quite symbolically, is beginning the same year that we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Conference of Alma-Ata, which endorsed the primary health care strategy as the means for achieving the generous and ambitious goal of health for all."

Meeting the Millennium Development goals for the region is a triple challenge, she noted. "First, we must strengthen the national responsibility and the institutional capacity of governments, as well as international support provided to the priority countries of Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua, in order to protect and intensify actions that will rapidly improve the living conditions and health status of their peoples. We must also ensure that the unique situation of the Region's middle-income countries remains visibly present on the international agenda to avoid the risk of setbacks and to guarantee that their achievements are consolidated. At the same time, we must prepare in advance to address the situation of island nations and small countries that must deal with the impact of climate change and with the consequences of the globalization of trade and labor and of its resulting migratory patterns."

"For all of our members, moreover, we must deal NOW with the burden imposed on public health by urbanization, population growth, aging, violence, mental health problems, substance abuse, smoking, obesity, and chronic diseases, while also striving to eliminate the cumulative debt that the MDGs seek to address," she added.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan congratulated Dr. Roses in a video message, saying "All the peoples of the Americas are fortunate" to have her leadership, and that she hopes to continue to have the "guidance and inspiration of Dr. Roses in the coming years."

Chile's Health Minister, Dr. Barría, pointed out that the renewed confidence of the Member States of the Pan American Health Organization in electing Dr. Roses to continue to lead the agency in joint efforts to improve the quality of life and social protection for our people is a "maximum distinction."

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, said he was honored to participate and to "continue to have the leadership of a woman who has blended her professional commitment with a comprehensive perspective on development."

Dr. Rebeca Grynspan, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations Development Program, said "Today is a day for all Latin America to celebrate," noting that Dr. Roses has managed to position health at the highest level of the political agendas of the countries of the Region.

Dr. Roses was accompanied by PAHO's former directors, Dr. George Alleyne of Barbados, Dr. Carlyle Guerra de Macedo of Brazil, and Dr. Hector Acuña Monteverde of Mexico as guests of honor.

Dr Roses, from Argentina, received her medical degree from the National University of Córdoba in 1969, obtaining a diploma in public health with a concentration in epidemiology and a certificate of specialization in infectious diseases from the University of Buenos Aires. She also studied tropical medicine at Bahía State Federal University in Brazil and worked as a field epidemiologist in many parts of Latin America, from remote villages to sprawling urban slums. She joined PAHO/WHO in 1984 as coordinator of the Epidemiology Unit of the Caribbean Epidemiology Center in Trinidad and Tobago. She served as PAHO/WHO Representative in the Dominican Republic and in Bolivia before being named PAHO's Assistant Director in 1995. She was elected Director of PAHO in 2002, serving as the first woman to head the world's oldest international health organization.

For more information on Dr. Roses, click here.

PAHO was established in 1902 and is the organization of older public health of the world. It is the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and works on with the countries in order to improve the health and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants.

Pan American Health Organization