Press release
Minister for Health opens WHO Demonstration Platform on Prevention and Treatment of Obesity
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has today reaffirmed Ireland’s commitment to reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Ireland, which will lead to improved health outcomes for many people.
She was speaking as she welcomed the World Health Organisation team for Special Initiative for Non-Communicable Diseases and Innovation, and international delegates from Portugal, Slovenia and Spain to Dublin for a unique Demonstration Platform for the prevention and treatment of obesity.
The three-day event is being co-hosted by the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive and the WHO Regional Office for Europe. It is designed to support countries to work together to strengthen the management of obesity in the WHO European Region, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Research shows that globally obesity is the fourth highest risk factor for diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many forms of cancer.
The Demonstration Platform will examine Ireland’s policies to address obesity, and will focus in particular on the HSE Model of Care which was developed under the current Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025 (OPAP) and is currently being implemented. Ireland’s model was chosen as a study for optimum health care delivery as it describes practical, scalable solutions for organising care, enhancing staffing resources, and optimising treatment for patients.
Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said:
"It is a great honour that Ireland has been chosen to host this important Demonstration Platform, providing an opportunity to highlight the extensive programme of work underway to address obesity. We know that adverse health outcomes from obesity have a huge impact not only on the lives of people living with obesity, but also on our health services and the wider economy. Our government is committed to addressing this in order to protect and improve long-term population health.
"I want to take this opportunity to recognise the work that is being done across many departments, agencies and community groups in order to prevent and treat obesity. This platform provides an excellent opportunity to build on progress by drawing on WHO expertise and sharing experiences with other European countries as we begin to develop a new obesity plan to support our population over the next decade."
Strategic Adviser to the Regional Director WHO Regional Office for Europe Dr Gauden Galea said:
"Reducing the burden of obesity and Noncommunicable disease is a priority in the new European Programme of Work 2, which is now undergoing a series of public hearings.
"We are grateful to the Government of Ireland for hosting our first demonstration platform on obesity. This initiative was built on the experience of our previous Primary Health Care Demonstration Platforms organised by the European Centre for Primary Health Care. It creates a unique and important place for countries to share their successes, challenges and future plans to prevent and control obesity and noncommunicable diseases."
HSE CEO, Bernard Gloster said:
"This visit by the World Health Organisation and its delegation reflects very well on the HSE overall approach to addressing obesity as a chronic disease. I hope the visitors learn as much from us as we hope to learn from them. This is the kind of collaboration needed to ensure that obesity prevention and treatment becomes everybody’s business across healthcare and also wider society."
Interim Chief Medical Officer Professor Mary Horgan said:
"Developing and delivering a full suite of initiatives from health promotion to obesity prevention and, critically, services, to manage and treat obesity across the life course is imperative. The timing of this visit is welcome as we can review the achievements of the current Obesity Policy and Action Plan, and utilise this platform in the development of a new action plan for the next ten years."
A WHO Demonstration Platform is designed to facilitate exchanges between countries, enabling them to study well-performing health care models. These platforms showcase practical solutions for reorganising care, improving governance, enhancing human resources, and optimising service delivery.
Ireland’s “A Healthy Weight for Ireland”, Ireland’s Obesity Policy and Action Plan (2016-2025) (OPAP) set out to reverse overweight and obesity trends, prevent complications and reduce the overall impact of obesity on individuals, wider society and the economy. OPAP actions range from education programmes, health promotion initiatives and prevention measures, through to services for the treatment and management of obesity across the health service spectrum.
Delegates at the WHO Demonstration Platform will study Ireland’s model of care for obesity over the next three days by taking part in site visits, engaging with stakeholders and discussing public health initiatives such as breastfeeding rates, taxation, food reformulation and regulation of marketing.
The global acceleration plan to stop obesity is an essential step towards meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3.4, and important preparation for the UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Co.