To mark the World Health Day 2018, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO) is planning to hold a media panel discussion Wednesday, 4 April 2018 on “Universal Health Coverage”, the theme of this year’s campaign.  It gives me a great honor to request your kind participation in this event as a distinguished member of the panel.
 
The year 2018 marks 70th anniversary of the WHO’s foundation, and 40th anniversary of Alma Ata Declaration on PHC and “Health for All”.  These important coinciding events in the same year make World Health Day 2018 a very special campaign under the theme of “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere” and the slogan of “Health for All”.  The campaign calls on policy makers to live up to the pledges they made when they agreed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3, which among others aims to ensure that by 2030 everyone, everywhere can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship.
 
The panel discussion will be moderated by a famous media personality. The Panelists, being distinguished global and regional public health figures, will share success stories and also bring their perspectives on different aspects of universal health coverage including financial protection, population and service coverage, as well as the role of governments, private and civil society partnerships to achieve UHC. “Right to health” particularly for vulnerable populations including refugees and migrants will also be another topic of discussion.
 
The Regional Director (a.i.) will inaugurate the panel discussion, which will take place in the premises of WHO/EMRO in Cairo, Egypt. Major local, regional and international media outlets will be present to cover the event. The discussions will also be live streamed to the public on WHO/EMRO’s social media channels. Attendees will include senior policy makers from health and other sectors, global and regional experts, civil society, UN partners, diplomats, academia and WHO staff.
 
The panel discussion will be followed by a lunch reception to celebrate the World Health Day and the WHO’s 70th birthday.
 
I enthusiastically hope that your schedule would permit and you would kindly accept this invitation. Your extensive knowledge and invaluable expertise in the field of public health will certainly enrich the panel’s deliberations and inspire, motivate and guide stakeholders to make commitments towards Universal Health Coverage.