By IRNA,
London : Iranian Health Minister Kamran Bagher Lankarani is expected to attend an international conference on ‘Closing the Gap in a Generation’ on health inequalities.
The two-day conference, starting Thursday, is being organized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) based on the work of its Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH).
Over 330 delegates from around the world, including ministers, leading policy-makers, representatives of international organizations, business and civil society are attending the event hosted by Britain’s Health Secretary Alan Johnson.
Other speakers at the conference include UK Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Hilary Benn, WHO regional director Marc Danzon and Realizing Rights president, Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner of Human Rights.
Former Iranian Health Minister, Professor Alireza Marandi, who was laureate recipient of the United Nations Population Award in 1999 and WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region’s Shousha Award in 2000, is also listed as a guest speaker.
The aim of the gathering is to share learning from the recently published final CSDH report and consider how these lessons can be applied to promote a social determinants of health approach to reducing health inequalities.
The social determinants of health have been the focus of a three- year investigation by an eminent group of policy makers, academics, former heads of state and former ministers of health.
During his visit, Lankarani is due to meet with Iranian doctors and medical students and is also expected to hold talks with Johnson and counterparts from other countries.