CRO DEPUTY HEALTH MINISTER TO ATTEND WHO SESSION

GENEVA, Jan 15 (Hina) - Croatian Deputy Health Minister Zeljko Reiner will represent Croatia at the 97th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) managing board which is to take place in Geneva from January 15 to 24. Reiner is the first official representative from Croatia since the establishment of its independence who was elected as European representative in the WHO Executive Council. The Croatian representative will take part in a discussion on the reform of the World Health Organization and on the improvement of its efficiency. The meeting will also include the drafting of WHO budget for the next three years. 'Croatia is cooperating with WHO through its office in Copenhagen', Dr. Reiner stated. Croatia is one of the first European countries to use WHO's "Health for All" programme. The programme, which covers the strategy of health service until the year of 2005, also represents a conceptual basis for a Croatian health care system reform which is currently in progress. The Croatian Deputy Health Minister is also to speak about the reorganization of the Croatian health care system. Being a representative of a country which suffered Serb aggression, Mr Reiner will ask from WHO for financial and expert support in the reconstruction of the war-damaged Croatian health service infrastructure. (hina) lm rm 151838 MET jan 96