The World Heart Federation (WHF) hosted a side event at the 68th World Health Assembly on 18 May 2015, entitled: ‘Marginalized in their Teens: RHD in Adolescents’. The event was chaired by Sudan’s Minister of Health and moderated by Dr Liesl Zühlke, an RHD specialist at the University of Cape Town. The discussion covered topics at the global, regional and national levels, as contributors shared their experiences and perspectives on RHD from around the world. Speakers included leaders from the African Union, Governments of India and New Zealand, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, and the leadership of the Medtronic Foundation (a founding Global Partner of the RHD Action Alliance).  The World Heart Federation was especially pleased to gain the support of Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director of WHO AFRO, who made strong commitments to addressing RHD and CVD in the region by implementing the WHO’s Package of Essential NCD Interventions (WHO PEN): “The inclusion of RHD management in the WHO PEN protocols is a valuable opportunity to integrate this often forgotten NCD into primary health care delivery systems”. The event gained good coverage in the press and you can find relevant content here - bit.ly/1RS48Ky
Please direct any questions about the event to: Joanna.Markbreiter(AT)worldheart.org