“There’s a tremendous tragedy, a catastrophe of healthcare in Venezuela,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar in a conversation with AS/COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth. “But when freedom comes, the sheer lack of infrastructure provides an opportunity to build a quality health system from the ground up,” he said at the event hosted by Council of the Americas in Washington, DC. Azar outlined U.S. efforts to address Venezuela’s public health crisis as he prepares to meet with Latin American leaders in Peru. The secretary made clear that the response to the crisis should be region-led and not U.S.-led, though the United States, he said, will provide “immeasurable financial support and human resources.” Azar also discussed how the private sector should “not wait,” begin to rebuild Venezuela’s healthcare system as soon as possible.

Increasingly, telemedicine and other innovative medical solutions have been proven to reduce cost of health care and broaden reach, generating attention and becoming the subject of many public-private partnerships in the region. Important innovations in the logistics sector are also enhancing reach of impactful drugs and other medical supplies across Latin America. This program convened a diverse audience comprised of private sector representatives from the pharmaceutical, logistics, and technology sectors in addition to representatives from NGOs, media, government, and academia.

Speakers:

• David Fox, Vice President, Head of Business Development (Former Head of Life Sciences, Healthcare, and Chemicals), DHL Global Forwarding Americas
• James Hogan, President, Medtronic Latin America
• Gustavo Menendez-Bernales, Managing Director, Internet Business Solutions, Cisco Systems
• Scott C. Simmons, Director of TeleHealth, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (moderator)

Closing address:

Congressman Rogério Carvalho, Brazilian Chamber of Deputies (PT/Sergipe) – via videoconference