London - Indonesian Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih is currently attending the 126th session of the WHO executive board in Geneva to discuss such issues as influenza pandemics.

    In her address at the meeting, Endang said to enhance the world`s ability to respond to influenza pandemics more rapidly, the WHO`s 2007 Resolution on influenza pandemic preparedness should be implemented in transparent, fair, sustainable, and balanced ways.

     Through the resolution`s transparent implementation, WHO member countries would get maximum benefit from the resolution, Endang said as quoted by Acep Sumantri, spokesperson of the office of the Indonesian Permanent Representative in Geneva.

     The WHO executive board session opened last January 18 and would end on January 23.

     Soemantri said Indonesia had taken the initiative to push for the holding of talks about a mechanism for responding to any influenza pandemic in the future.

     Besides influenza pandemics , the WHO executive board meeting also discussed global efforts to eradicate measles and prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases.

     The participants also talked about strategies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, a global code for recruitment of international health workers and the proposed revision of WHO guidance on international control of psychoactive substances..

     The WHO executive board has 34 members technically qualified in the field of health. Members are elected for three-year terms.

-Antara, 21 January 2010-