Left to right: Dr Natasha Azoopardi Muscat, Dr Hans Kluge, Professor Alfred J. Vella, Dr Stefano Moncada, Dr Neville Calleja, Professor Joseph Cacciottolo, Dr Karen Vincenti and Ms Chiara Tanti
On March 5, 2022 the Islands and Small States Institute (ISSI) of the University of Malta received the re-designation letter from the WHO Regional Director, Dr Kluge, as WHO Collaborating Centre on health systems and policies in small-states.
The WHO CC will work on three main areas:
- Developing policy recommendations for health system resilience building in small states
- The interrelationship between tourism, health systems and sustainability with a focus on islands and small countries, through a planetary health and equitable approach
- To develop a toolkit on health information, digital health and evidence generation in small states.
The WHO CC was firstly designated as a WHO CC in 2017, bringing its notable track record of top-level policy research on resilience, economy, environment and health in small states, as a centre of excellence in islands and small states studies. The ISSI is currently supporting the WHO in a project to explore the relations between health and tourism, with a specific attention on sustainable tourism in small states.
The University Rector, Prof Vella, Dr Stefano Moncada (Director of the ISSI) and Prof. Neville Calleja (Head of Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine & Surgery), co-directors of the WHO CC, expressed their gratitude for the re-designation and also indicated the importance of strengthening collaboration among other small states in Europe, and promote best practice and knowledge sharing with other WHO regions worldwide.
