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Foreign Minister on World Health Day |
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 Spindelegger: “Health and development go hand in hand”
Foreign Minister on World Health Day
Vienna, 6 April 2010 – “Health is an objective of sustainable development, but also a precondition for it. It is a human right and an essential pre-requisite for the participation of each person in a country’s development,” declared Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger to mark World Health Day on 7 April.
“Although the level of global health has improved in recent decades – today people are better off and live longer – the situation is still unsatisfactory in poor countries: half of the world’s population lacks vitally important medication, while one fifth has no access to basic healthcare. Distributive justice is often hardly more than hollow words. The Austrian Development Cooperation programme therefore supports basic healthcare provision in its partner countries – with consistent success,” affirmed the Foreign Minister.
Austrian Development Cooperation has been active in the field of health for more than 25 years. Together with Spain, Finland, the Netherlands and the World Bank, Austria is supporting Nicaragua’s health sector: the funds go directly into the implementation of the national health plan with a focus on women, children and the impoverished. In addition, Austrian Development Cooperation supports healthcare provision in Nicaragua’s two autonomous Atlantic regions. This project is devoted to healthcare at the municipal level and the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
Austria also promotes the development of healthcare and the training of personnel in the Somali region of Ethiopia: currently 126 women and men are being trained as nurses and midwives at a training centre co-financed by Austria. Moreover, two trained health workers will be provided for every village, and their job will be to raise public awareness with regard to health issues. Existing health centres will also be upgraded and better equipped, while their personnel shall attend further training courses.
With regard to HIV/AIDS, the Austrian Development Co-operation programme mainly relies on preventive measures. “In order to prevent new infections, still more people need to be informed about how they can protect themselves against HIV. Therefore, the aim is to further disseminate existing prevention strategies and programmes,” stated Spindelegger, also referring in this context to the international AIDS Conference, which will take place in Vienna between 18 and 23 July.
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