Honourable Ministers, Mr. Secretary-General, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is my great pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to all of you. I wish you a most successful meeting and a very pleasant stay in the Maldives. We are happy to host this meeting in Male’, even though the occasion is not one of celebration, but of deep worry.
Indeed, we are gathered here on a matter of grave concern to all of us. Today, one of the most serious health dangers facing us is that of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or atypical pneumonia. Within a matter of weeks, SARS has become one of the foremost concerns of many countries, killing hundreds, infecting thousands, and affecting the lives of millions of people.
In South Asia, we are fortunate that the spread of the epidemic has so far been minimal. But, home to over a billion people, and with many crowded cities, isolated villages with limited health facilities, SAARC countries cannot be complacent about the situation. It is imperative that we take early and effective measures to combat the disease. Certainly, SAARC provides the basis for joint action in addressing the social and economic problems of the region.
I am glad that all SAARC countries have responded promptly to our call to hold an emergency meeting of SAARC Health Ministers on the SARS epidemic. That we are meeting today at such short notice bears ample testimony to the priority that our nations attach to the health and welfare of our peoples. It also demonstrates the efficacy of regional co-operation in dealing with an increasing number of challenges in an age of globalisation and mass communication.
The last SAARC Summit, held in Kathmandu in January 2002, stressed the need to develop a regional strategy to deal with deadly communicable diseases. Such a strategy is highly relevant to the task at hand. Acting on that decision now can also pave the way for effective collaboration with regard to other serious health issues in the region. It is, indeed, true that out of concern comes progress. Let that be the outcome of this meeting.
The World Health Organisation and AFRIMS deserve our appreciation for extending their technical expertise in shaping a regional strategy. Indeed, the WHO has been playing a key role internationally in reacting to the SARS epidemic.
Honourable Ministers and Distinguished Delegates:
One of the most alarming aspects of SARS is the swiftness with which it is spreading. Just two months ago, SARS was not even in the medical vocabulary. Today, all countries in our region are deeply concerned over the possible spread of this new disease, and how it would affect our societies and economies. Even a month ago, SARS was reported in only 15 countries. By now this figure has nearly doubled, and the disease has appeared in five continents.
Ironically, SARS has made deadly use of the hallmarks of development to create its sinister impact on the world. Through today's rapid and convenient modes of transport, it has spread far and wide. We should be able to use the same means to overcome this lethal menace.
Honourable Ministers:
Like all epidemics that humankind has known in the past, SARS imposes a high social cost by disrupting lives and threatening to cripple societies. In some places, children are not going to school. Markets and entertainment centres are being closed. Busy streets are becoming deserted. Hospitals are being sealed off. And perhaps, the worst of all, people are beginning to look at the next person with fear. The absence of an effective cure for the infection and the lack of a reliable diagnostic tool have added to the fear created by the epidemic.
The economic impact of SARS is also severe. It is exacting a heavy price on world travel and tourism. Scores of flights to and from certain cities are cancelled or disrupted, and rigid screening procedures are in place at entry points. According to some estimates 15 to 20 billion dollars have already been lost to SARS.
Honourable Ministers:
The responses of countries and organisations everywhere to the SARS epidemic are also showing something that we can all build upon. In many ways, the outbreak of SARS has demonstrated the strengths of the international public health systems. Global collaboration of 13 laboratories in 10 countries, something only rarely seen, has led to the early identification of the causative agent. The Maldives would urge all concerned authorities to sustain such co-operation in the search for and the use of proper diagnostic know-how and treatment procedures for this killer disease.
In a situation like this, timely sharing of information and expertise among states would be crucial to devising swift and effective responses. We are happy that one country in South East Asia announced yesterday that it had succeeded in containing the epidemic. Yet, personal contact is spreading the virus in the affected regions, while travel means that new imported cases can occur at any time. A single such case can trigger off an outbreak involving hundreds of people. We must all be geared up for the long haul, and be prepared to accept that more countries can be affected.
Honourable Ministers:
The Maldives has been closely monitoring the global SARS situation in collaboration with the WHO. As the number of cases and deaths due to SARS has continued to rise worldwide, our worries have grown, not only because of the geographical proximity of the Maldives to the SARS-affected countries, but also because of the close links that we enjoy with those countries.
In view of this, we decided some weeks ago to initiate immediate preventive action. A national task force was set up to monitor the disease situation worldwide and to recommend national preventive measures. We continued to obtain regular SARS updates and guidance on disease prevention through the WHO. Our national health service delivery system was put on full alert and prepared for SARS surveillance, control, case management and reporting. I thank the Minister of Health, Mr. Ahmed Abdullah, and the officials and the professionals of the health sector for the diligent and competent manner in which they have responded to the situation.
Twenty-five years ago, the Maldives had its first and, fortunately, the only experience of a cholera epidemic. Then we had very few doctors and only one small hospital throughout the length and breadth of the country, and minimal health facilities in the islands. More than 11,000 persons were affected, and over 300 people died in a matter of weeks. The epidemic caused untold misery to our people.
Let me give you one telling example. One day a young man arrived in his home island from Male’, unknowingly carrying the disease. The next day, a mother and her son, and a child in a neighbouring house died of cholera. The sudden death of three people in a single day in a small island as a result of this unknown disease shocked and paralysed the whole island. We certainly do not want such a tragedy to happen again.
As a tourist destination, the impact of the importation of SARS to the Maldives could be very high. In addition to the human toll, the economic cost to us could be crippling. We have, therefore, initiated airport screening for passengers arriving from SARS-affected countries, and infection prevention and awareness information is given to all incoming passengers. A separate facility has been made ready for those who have to be quarantined. We have also allocated a nearby island exclusively for any possible SARS patients with the necessary treatment facilities.
Honourable Ministers and Distinguished Delegates:
The WHO has warned that SARS could become the first severe new disease of the 21st century with global epidemic potential. There is an urgent need, therefore, for us to discuss and formulate a common strategy to prevent the spread of the infection in SAARC countries.
Arrangements for sharing expertise and up-to-date information would be crucial to deal with the rapidly evolving epidemic. We need to facilitate contact tracing, exchange of information, and immigration control. An effective SAARC surveillance mechanism will be useful not just to deal with this epidemic, but also in facing new challenges emerging globally. Public awareness needs to be increased, and non-governmental organisations mobilised to reduce the transmission of SARS and other such diseases in the SAARC region.
Honourable Ministers:
Over 17 years ago, SAARC was founded on the conviction that regional co-operation would promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia. The objective was to improve the quality of life of our peoples, and to strengthen collective self-reliance amongst Member States. Today, we are met by a test of that conviction. We could indeed be on the threshold of a severe crisis. But, it can be averted by a prompt and a collective response. And it does give us a unique opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to those noble principles contained in the Charter.
SARS may well be a siren to remind humanity of its common destiny. For South Asia, it is time to sit up and take immediate steps to save its peoples from the dangers of the epidemic.
In fighting disease, we save lives. There can be nothing more valuable than the gift of life. And no deed can be nobler than saving lives.
May we, with our collective resolve and concerted action, be able to do that.
Thank you.