A. Collaboration Between the Center and WHO Headquarters
WHO Noncommunicable Diseases Research Partners meeting
In December 2001, the Center was invited to participate in
an international meeting sponsored by the WHO Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD)
programme in Geneva. Titled “WHO Research Partners Meeting,” the
meeting was called to define and increase collaboration between WHO and external
partners on NCD research priorities. The final product was a series of recommendations
and action steps designed to improve the quality and quantity of policy-oriented
research to advance NCD prevention and control.14
Consultation with WHO Programme on Cancer Control
The Center met with Dr. Cecilia Sepúlveda, Chief of the WHO Programme
on Cancer Control and Dr. Andreas Ullrich, Medical Officer, in December 2001
to discuss the status of the Center’s application for re-designation as
a Collaborating Center; the progress in India on improving opioid availability
for hospice and home care, and how WHO-Geneva could make use of this successful
program in India; the possibility of designating the PPCS/WHODP in India as
a WHO Collaborating Center; and other areas of collaboration.
In 2001, the WHO began a cross-cluster initiative for palliative care in Africa between cancer (non-communicable diseases) and HIV/AIDS (communicable diseases). WHO provided funding for the planning portion of a five-country project, including Botswana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The initial planning portion included the development of country analyses and action plans. During the Center’s visit to WHO-Geneva in December 2001, the Center provided preliminary opioid consumption trend graphics for the region and the five individual countries, and was invited by the Chief of the WHO Programme on Cancer Control to be a member of the Steering Committee. By year-end 2001, the Center had become an active participant in the African palliative care initiative.
Consultation with WHO Department of HIV/AIDS
The Center also met with Dr. Vincent Habiyambere, Medical Officer in the WHO
HIV/AIDS Programme in December 2001, regarding the joint project
in Africa. All agreed on the importance of pain medications to providing palliative
care to patients in pain. Dr. Habiyambere indicated that in some places in Africa,
people with AIDS are occupying over 80% of available hospital beds, and there
is an insufficient number of physicians in Africa to prescribe pain medications
to all the AIDS patients who need them. The Center provided Dr. Habiyambere
with a copy of the preliminary opioid consumption graphics for the five African
countries participating in the WHO Africa project, as well as other relevant
Center publications.
Consultation with WHO Programme on Long-Term and Home-Based Care
The Center met with Dr. Miriam Hirschfeld, Director of Long-Term and Home-Based
Care at WHO- Geneva in December 2001. She expressed an interested
in contracting with our Center to prepare a report about integrating palliative
care and long-term care in national policy and programs. The Center agreed to
undertake the project.
B. Collaboration Between the Center and WHO Regional Offices
1. PAHO (Pan American Health Organization)
The Center’s work with PAHO during 2001 focused on follow-up to the 2000 opioid availability workshop for six countries in the Andean region (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, and Venezuela). The workshop brought together professionals in cancer control, palliative care, essential drugs, and narcotics control to develop a mutual understanding of the need for pain relief, palliative care, and opioid availability; and to develop country action plans. The Center met with representatives of PAHO in August 2001 to discuss strategies to follow-up with the participants of the six countries. The Center prepared a survey that PAHO sent to each WHO country representative to collect information about progress, issues and needs for technical support.
Throughout the year, the Center continued its collaboration with Ms. Liliana De Lima in her capacity as the liaison to PAHO and its Collaborating Centers.
The Center submitted its application for 4-year re-designation to PAHO in September 2001.
2. EURO (WHO Regional Office for Europe)
In July 2001, the Center attended a meeting in Denver, Colorado,
USA, with Mr. Kees de Joncheere, Regional Adviser for Pharmaceuticals and Technology
of the WHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO), and representatives of the Open
Society Institute (OSI) of the Soros Foundation. The purpose of the meeting
was to initiate planning of a regional workshop on opioid availability for six
countries in Eastern Europe, based on implementation of the WHO Guidelines.5
For the remainder of 2001, the Center communicated with Mr.
de Joncheere and OSI to plan a workshop that would be held in Budapest, Hungary
in 2002.