Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, 10 June 2025 – The Secretary of Health of Chiapas, Omar Gómez Cruz, and the Representative of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in Mexico, José Moya Medina, signed a technical cooperation agreement on June 9 to strengthen statewide capacities and collaborate on priority health issues in Chiapas, with the ultimate goal of advancing its health agenda.
During the signing ceremony, the Secretary of Health said that the agreement “marks an important moment to continue advancing in the State, into a new era. In Chiapas we are strengthening the State Development Plan and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (...) the goals of which include closing gaps in maternal and infant mortality rates and reducing morbidity and mortality caused by communicable and noncommunicable diseases.”
He added that the State is now in a position to promote hard work under this new government, through the integration of the health system, articulating all public and private sector institutions. “In Chiapas we see ourselves as using a One Health approach, putting individuals, families, and the community at the center. We have to implement this intersectoral approach with social participation in the social determinants of health at the three levels of government, with an emphasis on the municipalities.”
The PAHO/WHO Representative pointed out that Chiapas has a history of technical collaboration with the Organization, which has enabled progress in primary health care. “We are going to work on priority issues such as maternal health, water issues, mental health, and non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes,” he said, “but we are also going to continue working with the health mobility panel to strengthen public health in Chiapas and across the country.”
Adriana Stanford Camargo, head of the Directorate-General for Public Health Policy, congratulated the Secretariat of Health and PAHO/WHO for this partnership and for the work they were going to promote. “We all have to work together and support the health of Chiapas,” she said.
The PAHO telehealth kit was presented on the first day of the agenda. The Secretary of Health of Chiapas saw first hand the ultra-portable briefcase containing blood pressure measuring equipment, a glucometer, a thermometer, a heart rate monitor, and an oximeter, all with online connectivity to be used digitally to bring primary health care services to all communities.
The agenda concluded in the afternoon at the Secretariat of Health of Chiapas, with two working groups featuring the participation of technical teams from the three levels of government: one group focused on trachoma, and the other on the subject of water.
