Intervention of the Holy See Delegation to the 68th World Health Assembly
18-26 May 2015, Geneva, Switzerland
In relation to this, the Holy See delegation wishes to emphasize the role of publicprivate partnership in promoting universal coverage, especially in many low-income
countries where primary healthcare services are accessed by a majority of the
population in the rural and hard to reach areas, mainly from private not-for profit
health centers and hospitals, managed by the Church and other faith based
institutions. In many countries, the Catholic Church is privileged to be one of the
primary partners of the State in providing much needed health care services to
populations in remote areas, through its over 110,000 health and social-welfare
institutions around the world.5 It is therefore important to offer them the necessary collaboration and support so as to enable them to bring the services close and to
render them accessible to poor people in particular.6 Indeed, in many low-income
countries, the contribution of civil society and communities to health services
delivery is fundamental.
Finally, Mr. President, while remembering the many victims of the Ebola virus in
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, as well as the many dedicated healthcare workers,
both from public and private Church owned health institutions, who lost their lives
while assisting those affected, and aware of the impact of the outbreak on the already
fragile health systems of the affected countries, whose capacity to provide essential
health services has been greatly compromised, my delegation welcomes the
recommendations of the Resolution on Ebola (EBSS3.R1) and supports its review
and approval by this august assembly (WHA68).
May I wish all the distinguished delegates a fruitful discussion and deliberation
during this Assembly
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In footnote
The Catholic Church has a total of 116,185 health and social-welfare institutions world-wide, of which 5,034
hospitals, 16,627 dispensaries, 611 leprosaria, 15,518 homes for the aged, chronically ill, invalids and
disabled, 9,770 orphanages, 3,896 special centers for social re-education and other social-welfare
institutions. Cf. Secretaria Status, Statistical Yearbook of the Church 2013, Libreria Editrice Vaticana,
Vatican City 2013, pp. 355-365.