Her Royal Highness began her address to delegates explaining that she became Patron of WHO/Europe in 2005 because of her “strong belief that health is our most precious possession and its protection and promotion are fundamental to the health and well-being of our societies.”
In addition to her extensive support for immunization and maternal and child health, in 2010 Crown Princess Mary agreed to extend her focus to include the challenge of antimicrobial resistance.
Speaking about this issue she noted, “There is no doubt that we are witnessing an increasing number of bacteria becoming resistant, and thereby are moving towards an era that could resemble the situation before penicillin was discovered – when people died of common bacterial infections. A frightening situation – we risk jeopardizing one of the fundamental achievements that brought huge progress to public health … We all have a role to play: those who set the policy and strategies; those who prescribe; those who use; and those who produce, including industry – a role in keeping antibiotics effective for use by future generations.”
In conclusion, the Crown Princess commended countries for the positive health trends and improvements in the WHO European Region and expressed her wish that this Regional Committee session would renew the commitment of health ministries, governments and societies to work together to improve health.
