Health information network 'to strengthen leverage' of smaller nations

Health parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne says the Small Countries Health Information Network aims to strengthen the vocie and interests of small countries on an international scale

Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne and WHO director for research innovation and information Claudia Stein
Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne and WHO director for research innovation and information Claudia Stein

The Small Countries Health Information Network, recently established by the World Health Organization (WHO) is designed at providing small countries like Malta with a stronger voice in health issues, Health parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne said in a press conference earlier today.

Speaking after the group’s first meeting, Fearne explained that small countries were defined as countries with a population under 1million, and the group includes countries like Montenegro, Cyprus, Andorra and San Marino among others.

Making particular reference to issues like bargaining with pharmaceutical companies, Fearne explained that small countries like Malta would gain more attention if they were to pool and join with fellow small countries to defend their rights and gain better leverage in discussions.

“The group will also share information about services, research and accessibility to lead to a better awareness and understanding of where our services stand and what needs to be improved.”

Fearne added that the group would also allow small countries to compare their situations with fellow small member states, allowing them to point out issues that might not be of concern to bigger member states.

“This will allow us to modify and implement policies accordingly,” he said, adding that small groups would also gain more weight on international scales if they grouped up with specific issues.

Fearne added that the group also sought to pool population data for research purposes.

WHO director for research innovation and information, Claudia Stein said that the WHO had long felt the necessity of bringing small countries together to give them more weight on an international scale, to allow them to further overcome challenges they might face.

“Small countries are often penalized for their lack of resources,” Stein said.

 “We believe all member states are important and we want to bring the advantages of small countries to the fore,” she said, explaining that the WHO was very welcoming to bringing regions together and coming up with possible outcomes.